Naruto : The Savior
by narutominato797
Summary: Naruto is watching the villagers celebrate the Death of the Kyubi on his birthday when he is noticed by someone and the hunt for the demon brat begins. This is a story of a boy who lost his parents on the day he was born and is hated by the inhabitants of the village. The day he ran for his life is the day when his life will begin to change and he will meet new people.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto.

Chapter - 01

The moon was shining its light brightly upon Konoha, the Hidden village of Leaves, and along with the many street lamps standing along the length of the various roads through the village it succeeded in decapitating the darkness of the night. Having done its job perfectly on yet another night, it was beaming with joy as it gazed upon the cheering faces of the village inhabitants.

It was 10th of October, the day of celebration for the villagers. On this auspicious day, four years ago, their leader, The Fourth Hokage, succeeded in subduing the greatest threat that Konoha had ever faced. The memory of that night was still etched clearly in the minds of the villagers who survived that Hell.

The roar of the monster echoed through the village shaking the core of everyone's being. Its blood-red eyes with a slit in the pupil scared the hell out of those who dared to stand in its way, and the flip of its tails sent wind slashes sharper than any blade ever conceived.

Houses were leveled to the ground every time it took a step closer to the heart of the village. Destruction danced on the soil of Konoha that night and those who survived the ravaging lived to tell the tale of how the Nine-Tailed Fox, The Kyubi destroyed their home and how their Hokage stood bravely in its path claiming its life at the end of the night while sacrificing his own in the event.

It was the day of mourning the deaths of their families while at the same time celebrate the sacrifice that their leader made to save the village and keep the Will of Fire ignited in the hearts of those who lived through the hell of that night.

The villagers had gathered at the cemetery, where laid the departed ones resting in peace forever. Once they offered their respect to them, they proceeded toward the campfire burning brightly at the heart of the village. They gathered around the fire and wrapped in its warmth they danced and sang with their loved ones.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who took the place of the Fourth after his death, stood by the window behind his desk in the Hokage office witnessing the joy of the villagers, whom he swore to protect the day he accepted the title. As he gazed upon them with a warm smile on his face his thoughts constantly drifted towards the event of that night from four years ago.

A chill went down his spine the moment Kyubi's eyes rose from the grave of his memories. Never had he felt as hopeless as he was on that night, and had it not been for Minato Namikaze, the entire village would have been burnt to ashes. He was one of the few who knew what greater sacrifices Minato had to make, other than his life, to save their village from the wrath of the most dangerous monster out there.

It took him a few seconds but he succeeded in suppressing the screams of the dying people that impaled his ears every time he thought about that night. Instead of dwelling in the past forever he, like his fellow villagers, decided to move forward, and this was one of the reasons for celebrating the night.

Happy faces of the children and their giggling took Hiruzen Sarotobi's mind off the loss they all had suffered and he once again resumed with the heck load of paperwork that he had to go through before he could take the night off. _No rest for this old man._ He thought as he picked up his ink pen once again and ran his eyes through the reports submitted by the ninjas, who have returned safely from the missions they were sent on.

The night was still young and there were hours of dancing and singing and eating for the villagers to do before they went back to their daily lives. Yet on such a gleaming night there was this four year old kid, who could not find a place for himself in the crowd gathered around the campfire.

Hidden behind a tree that was standing a few meters from the center of the village, he looked at the happy faces of the people celebrating like there was no tomorrow. When his eyes fell upon the children of his age, who were playing near the fire while being constantly warned by their parents against going so near to the fire, a simple yet so complicated thought took birth in his mind – _Would I have been able to enjoy like them if my parents were alive?_

Not a single soul took notice of the longing that flooded his eyes. Everybody was so lost in enjoying themselves that the thought _– What would it fell like to have no one to celebrate with? –_ Never occurred to anyone.

But the ignorance of the crowd was more like a blessing for this child. If anyone did take notice of him gazing at them from behind a tree, the night could very well turn into a game of tag for him. Only the difference would be that if he were to be caught by the crowd his very life would be in danger. So, he was thankful that at least he had the opportunity to watch if not become a part of all the fun going on out there.

But alas, the Lady of Luck had decided something else for the boy.

When he was sure of the fact that no one was looking in his way, he decided to get a bit closer to the crowd.

Was his decision foolish?

Hell, yeah!

It was indeed one of the most foolish decisions he had ever made. But can you bring yourself to blame a child, who never once had the chance to spend some time with his family, to try and see what it is like to have a family?

Curiosity or rather desires came over him, and acting on thoughts, he should have never let take birth inside his mind to begin with, he left the safest spot and moved a couple of feet closer to the campfire. But before he could find a safe place and ensure that he was hidden from the view of the villagers once again, he was spotted by a pink-haired, six years old girl.

"Hey, look the Demon!" she shouted attracting the attention of the people nearby.

At once they turned in the direction she was pointing in and found the blonde, who was still trying to figure out a place from where he could look at the celebration without exposing himself to the crowd. Little did he know that his cover was already blown and what he dreaded the most had come to pass yet again.

Soon the cheerful faces were painted with anger and hatred. All the singing and dancing ceased at once. Murmuring sound filled the surrounding atmosphere. When the blonde kid turned around to investigate the reason for a sudden change in the mood of the night he found everyone staring at him with eyes filled with anger, disgust, cruelty and despise, and the moment he peeked into them, he knew that once again the chase was to begin and he was going to be pulled into a game of tag in which he had to run for his life.

He hardened his heart, got rid of all the unwanted warmth he felt for a second while gazing at the joyous mood of the night and prepared himself to endure the beating in case he got caught.

"What the hell are you doing here monster?"

Before he could react a stone came flying at him and hit him on the forehead. A small wound opened up and gave way for the blood to drip out of his veins.

He rubbed the back of his hand against his temple to prevent the blood from entering his eyes. Even though he knew it was pointless, he decided to word his thoughts for the first time in his life in front of the crowd that was ready to chew upon his flesh the moment they got a chance.

"What did I ever do to deserve any of this?"

"Don't try to act all ignorant, you wench!"

This time a piece of wood was thrown at him, but the last hit had pushed his senses to the limit and he was prepared to react the moment his lizard brain sensed any danger. So, he ducked immediately when he saw the wood flying towards him.

"Just stand there and get punished for what you did to us."

A man cried with rage and sprinted towards him. When the sound of boots hitting the ground fiercely entered his ears he knew that it was time for him to run for his life.

"Ah, damn it all!" cursing, he turned around and jolted away from the crowd.

Soon, the man was joined by a few more furious villagers and together they hunted for the kid, who did not even have clue as to why he was being chased around like an animal for the most part of his life.

 _Why do they hate me so much?_

This one thought had kept the blonde awake for countless number of nights, and no matter how many times he asked Sarutobi, the only person who cared for him, he did not get any answer.

So, without any idea about the reason why he was despised by everyone he kept on running and evading countless near death experiences. Life had never been merciful for him. Every time he had a mob on his tail chasing him around, it ended with him in their clutches accepting their kicks and punches on his body. So, he knew that this time was not going to be any different, but there was this unsettling feeling in his heart.

There was this scream in his ears that was constantly warning him against stopping even for a second. Threatened by this fear, whose origin and nature both were unknown to him, he kept on running till his lungs gave away.

There is a limit to how far a four year kid could get on his feet. He did his best, but unfortunately that was not enough to save his life, not this time. Loss of breath made him dizzy and before he could recover from severe panting he was on the ground, and was soon surrounded by the mob.

"There is nowhere to run for you demon." Said a man before digging his feet into his stomach.

No matter how frequently he was in these situations, he never got used to the beating. Besides the man did not hold back when he launched his feet towards him. So, coughing blood, the blonde tried to get up. But the tip of someone's sandal hit the back of his lower right leg and he fell on the ground once again.

Then, came a series of kicks and punches.

Yes, the crazy people were so adamant on getting their anger out on him that they even kneelt to get their punches to find a spot on his body.

"I am sorry…. I am so sorry… Please, forgive me… Please….." The child begged for mercy, but the heartless mob did not flinch for a second before dismissing his pleadings and continued to torture the kid.

Blood dripped from the cuts and scratches on his hands. His legs were trembling with pain and the constant twitching his body went through because of the beating. His eyes swell because of the punches that hit him right above the eyelids. His whole body was covered in bruises. He was barely holding onto his consciousness. But the suffering did not stop. No one came for the poor soul's rescue.

The girl, who was in a way responsible for the blonde's misfortune for the night, was standing a couple of meters away from the crowd and witnessing them beat him brutally. Though she was feeling awful for attracting everyone's attention towards him, other than feel sorry for him and curse herself for doing what she did there was nothing she could do to help him.

She was of a kind heart, no doubt, and when she shouted out _demon_ the thought that things could get so bad never once occurred to her, but despite all her kindness, she did something unforgiveable. Something that would haunt her nights in the years to come.

But that's a story for some other time; for now, let's witness the fate of the four year blonde kid who is called demon by his fellow villagers.

Just when he was about to give up and accept death that was inching closer to him as each second passed by, he heard a loud crash. When he opened his eyes to look why the beating stopped all of a sudden, he saw a tall man with lightning around his fist that was dug into the ground in front of him.

The blonde lifted his head a little to burn the image of the man who came to his aid. His hair was silver-colored and his face was covered with a mask that resembled to the face of a dog. As the man stood up, the mob around them started to back off.

When he was sure that he had instilled the required amount of fear in the people surrounding them to prevent them from making any stupid moves, he turned around and bent forward in order to lift the beaten child off the ground.

"Agh!" The blonde clenched his teeth as the silver-haired man touched his chest.

"Bear for a while. Well will soon be at the hospital."

As he slid his arm down his chest tracing the lines of his ribs, he realized that a couple of them were broken. His right shoulder was dislocated. Blood dripped from the cuts on his face and hands. There were several trampling marks on his legs and his abdomen was painted reddish-black with several bruises.

 _How could they do something to a child of his age?_

He was barely keeping his rage under control and if he did not have to get the blonde to the hospital immediately, he could have most probably unleashed his wrath upon the ugly bastards that stood around them.

 _Minato-sensei, was this village really worth saving?_

He asked to God knows who before disappearing from there leaving a few leaves on the blood stained ground behind.

When he reached the hospital, he grabbed the first doctor he saw and ordered, much more like threatened him to save the life of the kid. Before the doctor could refuse, which he most certainly would have when he saw the face of the unconscious kid in the silver-haired man's arms, he was panting with an overwhelming pressure almost crushing his mind. So, without uttering a single word, he took the blonde into the operation theatre and along with a couple of nurses operated on him.

While the blonde was fighting for his life inside the operation theatre, the masked-man rushed out of the hospital and jumped on the roof of the nearest building before sprinting towards the Hokage building.

"Hokage-sama…." He said panting.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Sarutobi got out of his chair as a thread of worry stretched on his face when he saw a very unusual expression on Kakashi's face.

"It's Naruto. H…."

Before he could say anything further, Kakashi felt a gust of wind flow by his face. When he realized that the Hokage was not there anymore, he got out of his office and rushed towards the hospital.

Upon reaching there, he found the Hokage looking through the glass in the door of the operation theatre.

He was quiet and a threatening aura surrounded him. To Kakashi's eyes, it looked like he was about to explode in anger and when he did, whoever stood in his path would be devoured by him. Never before had Kakashi been afraid of his leader as much as he was now.

With slow and careful steps, he walked towards him and stood by his side glancing through the glass in the door.

"He will be alright, Hokage-sama." He said in a low voice.

There was no response. So, he took the hint and decided to not say anything more than what was needed.

For almost fifteen minutes, they stood without budging from their position. No words were exchanged either.

"We have failed Minato, Kakashi." He said in a sad voice.

"Yes, we have." Kakashi replied, and then silence engulfed their surrounding once again.

"Hey old man, how are you?" Naruto greeted the Kage when he woke up and saw him looking at him with a sad pair of eyes.

"I am fine, Naruto. How are you feeling?"

"Beside a bit of pain in my chest, I am alright." He said feeling his rib cage with the tip of his fingers.

"I am sorry Naruto I let that happen… I am so sorry." He looked into the kid's eyes.

"Nah, it's okay. Besides, it was my own fault to go out there. But you know, I couldn't stop myself, when I thought how wonderful it would have been if tou-san ( _father)_ and kaa-san ( _mother)_ would have been alive."

He was quiet for a while.

"Sometimes, I think why did they leave me behind? It would have been better if I too would have died alongside in the accident." His eyes were teary and his voice was trembling.

The old Sarutobi could barely bear the sight of his surrogate grandchild weeping in front of him. He walked closer to him and placing his hand on his fore head, he pulled him closer. Naruto wrapped his arms around him and wept like a lost child.

"It will be alright, my child… It will be alright." He said running his hand on his back.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto.

 _Two Years Later…_

Bright rays of sunlight made its way through the sole window in Naruto's apartment, which no matter how you looked at _shabby_ was the only word to describe it. Crossing the distance between the window and Naruto's bed, it fell upon his eyes illuminating his vision from behind the eyelids causing him to part from his dream land. Rubbing his eyes, he got up slowly.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Greeted a female voice.

As he turned his head in the direction the voice graced his ears from he saw a woman standing with her face covered behind a cat-mask.

"Oh, hey Neko-chan. Good morning." He greeted her while making his way out of the bed.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She asked him as she bent herself to make her face in line with his.

"Lazy." He said yawning like a one-year old child.

"Is that so? Then, good for you that I have got a very refreshing breakfast with me." She pointed to the packet on the table beside the bed.

Naruto flinched a little at the mention of the word _breakfast._

"Did you cook it?" He asked hesitatingly.

"No. Well, if you want me to then I can cook for you." She said playing with his bed hair.

The very thought of her cooking something sent a chill down the blonde's spine. When the woman in cat-mask treated Naruto to the meal she spent hours to cook, his taste palate could not even feel the bliss of his favorite pork-ramen for a couple of days. It was then he realized that this lady's culinary skills were something to be feared of. Never once did he dare to taste the food she cooked. Funny thing is that she never could quite figure out that there is something terribly wrong with her cooking. This made Naruto wonder what exactly her tongue is made of.

But leaving that aside for some other time, right now he had to come up with a tactically appropriate answer that he could give the woman kneeling in front of her and looking at him with an expecting pair of eyes.

"No, you do not have to go through all that trouble. I know that you are a busy kunoichi. So, you do not have to go out of your way to cook for me. I am more than happy to have someone to share the meal with me." He said with a radiating smile, which for the kunoichi in front of him was almost irresistible. She immediately drew him close and hugged him tightly.

"Um….. Neko-chan, is something the matter?" He asked wrapping his hands around her.

"Nothing much. It's just that I will have to go out of the village for a couple of days and I won't be able to see you. Thinking about how much I will be missing you just made me want to hold you tightly." She tightened the wrapping of her well-toned arms around his small and tender body.

"So, I will have to eat alone for two days?" He asked her in a tone wet with innocence.

"I too hate it just as much as you do, but I will have to go. It's an important mission for the village." She explained.

"If you put it that way, then I guess I can accept it." He said reluctantly breaking loose from her firm grip.

"I promise that once I am back we will spend a whole day doing a lot of stuffs together." She ran the tip of her thumb over his right eye, which had a little hint of tears in them. "Now, shall we eat?" She asked, to which the little blonde nodded lightly and walked towards the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Two years have passed since he was hospitalized by the crazy mob chasing after him on his birthday. Many things have happened since then. Most of them were what you could call torturous for a kid and a few…, very few good things that actually made Naruto glad that he was alive. Of those few things was his encounter with this cat-masked woman, whom he preferably calls _Neko-chan._

How he met her was no coincidence. She was assigned to watch over the kid from shadows, but it seems that in the past two years her relationship with the boy has progressed from a mere watchwoman to somewhat of a family kind of thing. Though she still has not revealed who she is behind the mask, but the way she cares for the child, it's as if he were a part of her own. While the Hokage did not exactly have this scenario in his mind when he assigned the woman with the mission to watch over him, he was very much glad to come to know how close they have grown in the past couple of years.

 _Two years ago…. 12_ _th_ _of October…._

" _Kakashi, I need you to get Neko and come visit me in my office within an hour." The Third said without taking his eyes off Naruto, who was sound asleep in his bed._

" _Yes, Hokage-sama." With that he vanished leaving a few leaves spread around the spot where he was standing a second ago._

" _I will not let anyone harm you, my child… Not anymore. I am sorry, Minato that I let things get this out of hand, but I promise I will protect him without fail." He swore as he gazed out the window, at the crowd walking on the streets. To say that his eyes were completely riddled with the will to protect those villagers wouldn't be completely justifying his emotions. While he still felt that he would gladly give his life to ensure the safety of the village, he was disappointed in the absolute foolishness of his fellow mates, who even failed to recognize how much of a sacrifice the boy was making by bearing the burden he had no control over._

 _At the Hokage Office….._

" _Hokage-sama, you called me?" The cat- masked woman positioned her right knee on the floor and placing her right fist in front of her bent knee, she bowed her head to him._

" _Yes, neko. I need you to accept a mission, but first I want you to come look at this document."_

 _Slowly she stood up and walked up to Hiruzen's desk. He passed her the file that had the information that he wanted to show her. She scrolled through the pages and by the time she was done running her eyes through the entire document, they were wide-opened, and if the mask was not in the place where it was, Hiruzen and Kakashi could have clearly seen the rage that was painted across her face when she read the report that was attached with the document._

" _How could anybody be so cruel?" was the only question that escaped from her mouth._

" _The situation is getting rapidly out of hand, and as you can see, we need to do something in order to ensure his safety." Hiruzen sighed._

" _Yes sir, it is indeed as you say. What can I do to help?" She placed the file back on the desk and assuming a firm posture asked in a determined voice._

" _I want you to look after him."_

 _This won The Third a confused look from both the AMBU officers._

" _I do not understand, Hokage-sama. Do you want me to take him in with me? You know that I can't, as I am serving as an AMBU right now, and I will have to continue for at least three more years as per the rules." She stated after asking him the question that was bugging Kakashi too._

" _I know. That is why, what I am asking of you is to watch over him from the shadows. I have assigned AMBU officers before to ensure his safety, but none of them ever showed any kind of interest in the job. That is why I have turned to you for help. Given the past you share with his mother, I am pretty sure that you will come to care about the child, which is much needed to protect him."_

" _If that's what you want then I can afford the retirement and live with him to make sure he is safe." Kakashi said taking off his AMBU mask._

" _And I would have accepted the offer if not for the mission you are currently working on with Jiraiya. It is very important to find out why the Kyuubi attacked Konoha." Hiruzen said puffing a cloud of smoke from the pipe hanging in the corner of his mouth._

" _But…"_

 _Kakashi was interrupted by The Hiruzen's authoritarian voice._

" _Kakashi, I know you care for him very much, but I won't have this village falling apart around me. If there is any threat that is yet veiled, I want you and Jiraiya to unveil it. In return, I promise you that I will do whatever in my power to keep Naruto safe."_

 _Present Time….._

"Okay Naruto, it's time for me to live." She drew his attention towards herself when she saw a man, with a dog-mask over his face, standing outside the window. "I want you to stay inside the house as much as possible, at least make sure that you do not stay out during the night. Now, I know that despite me saying that you will run outside the second I leave, and head towards the training ground…"

She paused for a while only to see Naruto chuckle at her words.

"So, I wanted to tell you that…" She continued. "You are prohibited from training on anything new. Just practice what I taught you. Promise that, and in return I will promise you that I will teach you a new ninjutsu that will go well with your sword technique once I return. Deal?" She asked him.

He folded his arms and immersed himself into a deep thought for a while. Then, he raised his head with a jerk and said, "Deal." in a playful voice.

"Okay, then I am heading out. Take care Naruto. I will see you soon."

 _Evening of the same day…_

Naruto was returning from his favorite training spot that he usually shared with the Neko  
AMBU officer. The Sun had sunk below the horizon almost an hour ago, and night could be felt pacing towards the village. As per his deal with Neko-chan, Naruto left the training ground's perimeters way early than his usual routine so that he could be at his apartment before the darkness of night completely shrouded the village.

When he was half past the distance between his apartment and the training ground, he saw the board of the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, his favorite eating spot, coming into his view.

He walked inside the shop, and greeted the owner, "Hey old man, how is the night coming along?"

"Fine. The customers are increasing as we speak and I succeeded in perfecting the new recipe I was working on. So, I guess everything is good." He said with a fatherly smile on his face.

He has been dining at the shop since he was three, and the owner and his daughter being one of the few who actually gave a damn about him, Naruto had come to develop some sort of bond with them.

"What will you be having?" Asked Ayame, the owner's daughter. 

"Pork-ramen and a specimen of old man's new recipe." He said with a beaming smile on his face.

Ayame, who had come to care for the blonde as his little brother, was so glad to see a peaceful smile on his face. Ever since Neko revealed herself to him and made direct contact by spending times together with him he had started to smile quite often. As the assaults had decreased for the past couple of years and he got to know that there are people who cared for him, he was able to slowly crawl out of the shell he had built around himself. Life for the first time was good for him.

"Here, your order." She placed a packet that had the ramen and his dad's new recipe packed inside.

He paid them, and after wishing them a goodnight, he made his way out of the shop. When he was walking through the shopping district of the village, he saw the pink-haired girl, who for some reasons unknown to him often walked up to him and talked with him. In fact, sometimes she would even train with him and thought him the things she learned at the academy.

When she first approached him, he was cautious around her. Always questioning – _Why is she so nice to me? –_ To himself. Well, could you blame him? He was always beaten around at the orphanage he used to live at, even showed kindness on a few occasions only to be betrayed in the end. Who would not be suspicious when someone starts following you around and talk to you as if she had known you for a life-long amount of time.

Same was the case with the Neko AMBU officer, but let's save that story for some other time.

Back to Naruto, when he saw that pink-haired girl, who has a large forehead, his first instinct was to call out her name and reckon her attention towards himself, but he only went as far as raising his right arm. The reason why he did not completely change his thoughts into action was the simple fact that he did not want to cause trouble for himself and for the girl, who showed him her kindness at some point of his life. So, quickly getting rid of the thought, he headed towards his home once again.

But little did he know that the girl saw him even before his eyes fell on her. She did not look in his direction because she wanted him to call out her name and walk up to her. She was waiting at the same spot, which was in the line of his sight, for more than ten minutes for him to take notice of her. When her patience ran out and she did not hear his voice or any footsteps closing in on her, she turned around with a frowning expression only to find that the blonde had turned in the other direction and was walking away from her.

This conduct of the boy, who she had come to think of as a friend, really ticked her off, and with a childish rage in her eyes and a sweet pout on her face, she followed after the blonde.

Maintaining a safe distance from him, she walked with light steps towards him slowly and steadily decreasing the distance between them. She wanted to catch him off guard and scare the hell out of him as a punishment for ignoring her. But alas, she did not have any clue of the fact that the blonde has already made her out and was now just playing along with her little game.

At the end of the street there was a sharp turn. When Naruto got closer to it, he increased his pace and rushed towards the turn. Seeing him increase his pace, Sakura ran towards him, but before she could get any closer he had already turned at the corner. When she got there herself and turned to sneak up on him, she was bewildered to find no one on the street.

The place was completely deserted and besides herself there was no sign of any person around her. A bead of sweat dropped down her temple as the realization that she was all alone in that eerie looking place closed in on her, she was too scared to even move.

Naruto, who was looking down at her from the top of the wall that was laid along the length of the road, smiled with a foxy grin seeing her panic like a lost lamb. Placing his left hand below the packet while holding it in his right hand, he jumped off the wall. Just as he was about to touch the ground behind Sakura, he channeled a fair amount of chakra to the bottom of his feet and landed without making any sound. Slowly he took his left hand away from its initial position and placing it on Sakura's shoulder said in lazy tone, "Yo, Sakura-chan."

Totally convinced of the fact that whoever was behind her was a ghost, she threw her hands at him while spinning on her feet.

"Hey, it's me. It's Naruto." He said grabbing her slender arms in his firm grip.

"Wha….." She couldn't even complete her question before tears started rolling down her eyelids. "How did you get behind me?" She asked sobbing.

"I jumped down from up there." He replied pointing toward the top of the wall standing beside them.

After that it took him a couple of minutes to get her to calm down. He rubbed the tears off her face and got the hair that had been caught in the moisture on her cheeks off them.

"Do not ever do that." She warned him in a threatening tone. He simply nodded to show that he understood and there was no need to leak any killing aura further into the air surrounding them.

Once done with all that, Naruto gasped as if he remembered something and then grabbing Sakura's arm, he said, "Come, I got to show you something."

"Where?" She asked while being dragged by Naruto.

"Just come with me."

Naruto let go of her hand when they were standing by a huge crack in the wall that was wide enough for a person to get inside the compound. He then bent his neck and walked towards the crack.

"Wait, you are going in there?" Sakura caught his arm and asked in a hesitating voice.

"Yeah, and not just me you too."

"No!" She almost screamed showing how much reluctant she was to go inside or even let Naruto walk in. So, it took Naruto a good five minutes to convince her that it was safe and that the surprise waiting for her behind the wall was totally worth a risk.

Sticking close to Naruto's right side, she walked in with careful steps while rotating her head in all directions to make sure that they were safe. Once inside, they walked a couple more meters before coming to a cartoon box that was placed beside the wild bushes growing near one corner of the compound. When Sakura peeked inside the box, her eyes lit with joy.

Two cute puppies were playing inside the box. By the look of it, it appeared that their mother had not paid a visit for quite a while. When Naruto looked in their eyes, he saw the same fear he used to have before meeting Neko-chan, and yet they were playing happily as if declaring to the world that whether you care for us or not we are going to live on while supporting each other. Looking at them he thought if he would have been this happy if he had a brother or a sister, and before he knew he had ripped the container that had the pork-ramen and taking a slice of pork meat out of his dinner he carefully placed it in front of them.

At first they were suspicious, but as the delicious odor sunk into their noses, they both stepped closer towards the piece of meat and sniffing over it for a while, they both bit the corner of the piece that was fairly large for them. After eating that they both looked at Naruto with a satisfied expression in their eyes.

Smiling gently, Naruto crouched and rubbed the underneath of their jaw with his index finger. A tickling sensation ran down their body as he moved his finger against their fur, and feeling comfortable they both lurched towards his feet.

Sakura, who was gazing at them with a warmth in her eyes, crouched beside Naruto and leaning her head on his shoulder, she asked in a bit sad voice, "Hey Naruto, earlier when you were walking in the shopping district, you saw me, right?"

"Yeah." He replied caressing the puppies' little head.

"Then, why did you not call my name?"

He was quiet. He knew why he did not call her out, but how he was supposed to explain that to his friend was something that he was not quite sure about. So, instead of making any efforts to get his reasoning accepted by her he just chose to let the question go unanswered.

"Was it because you thought that I would ignore you."

"No, Sakura-chan. That thought never once crossed my mind."

"Then, why?"

"Because…" He paused for a while, then with a sigh he began, "Because I was afraid that I might attract unwanted attention towards you if I started acting so friendly with you in front of the entire crowd. You know how much I am hated in this village, right? I was afraid that if I called you out there, then I might lose my friend." He said in a bit sad voice.

While Sakura understood what Naruto was afraid of, she did not understand why he was afraid of such a stupendously implausible thing. She knew that no matter how much distant others started acting towards her because of her friendship with Naruto, she was not going to leave his side ever. She owed him this much.

 _Two Days Later…._

Naruto was happy when he woke up in the morning, as this was the day when Neko was coming back to Konoha from her mission. He was excited to see her after two long days of separation.

At this point of his life, Neko had become an inseparable existence in his life, and even though he was still as much unaware of her true identity as he was the first day he met her, he knew that if something were to happen to her he would never be the same in his life anymore. That is why he is constantly worried about her safety while she is away. In fact, he even went to the Hokage a couple of times to ask him if he had heard from her. He would always make him return to his apartment saying that she was safe and asked him not to worry about her.

Only the tip of the Sun was above the horizon when he looked up in the sky. So, he decided that it was time to hit home. He also had to go see the puppies and take them with him so that he could ask Neko's permission to let them grow with him. He knew that if he did that without asking her she was going to be furious so, he decided to wait until she returned.

He was walking down the same path he had been using to get home for the past couple of days, and as he neared the turn at the corner of the street, unable to control his excitement he started running. When he turned at the corner, his feet stopped all of a sudden. He saw a group of four children walk out of the crack in the wall. They had a nasty grin on their faces as they looked at him.

Suddenly, something tricked the alarm in his lizard brain, and he started running once again. When he was by the crack, he took deep breath and got inside the compound. With short and quick steps he walked towards the puppies' current home. With each step that brought him closer to them, a strange fear deepened its roots inside him. He was afraid for the first time in a long time, and wished that Neko would have been there with him.

But once again fate had decided things against him, and no matter how desperately he begged God for their safety, his prayers were left unanswered. He reached the cartoon box only two find them both beaten to death. Beside the box was written – _No place for the Demon and his Children in this village._

He broke into tears and groaning he fell on his knees. Taking their lifeless bodies into his arms he screamed.

"Naruto?" He heard someone calling him from behind.

On turning his head around, he saw Sakura running towards him. When she got there, showing the dead body of the puppies, he said, "They are gone, Sakura-chan. Those children…. They…. Killed them." His voice diminishing with every word he spoke.

For the first time in his life he tried to care for someone, and he ended up losing them. Life was fair only for a short while and then it turned into a nightmare once again.

Sakura kneeled beside him and wrapped her arms around his shivering body. She wanted to stay strong and console him, but tears started dripping down her face too as she held him in his arms. Naruto leaned his head on her shoulder and wept like a child.

The day when he was being beaten like an animal two years ago, Sakura was there witnessing the horrible scene. He begged for mercy, but he never cried like he was this time. She desperately wanted to ease his pain. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but no matter how hard she tried she could not bring herself to say that. She knew that this was never going to change not as long as he was in the village.

"Let's burry them." That was all she could say.

Slowly he got on his feet and made his way out of the compound through the same crack. Holding those two in his arms and weeping he walked through the shopping district. Many eyes fell upon him as he walked past them, but instead of pity they had disgust in them. No one, not a single soul cared to know the reason why he was crying. It was like he was not even human in their eyes anymore.

Sakura looked at them and cursed them for staring at him with such eyes, but when she realized that there was no point of it at all, she just stuck close to him and walked without uttering any words.

They buried them under a tree in the training ground he always used to visit. Kneeling beside their grave he apologized to them to no end.

"I am sorry…. If only I did not play with you, you would have been alive."

Hearing those words Sakura's heart broke. Never had she felt as helpless in her life as she was feeling now. She really had no idea what she could do to ease his pain. She was about to wrap her arms around him once again when someone called out from behind.

"Naruto?"

When he turned his head in the direction of the voice, Neko saw the tears in his eyes. Within a fraction of second she was kneeling beside him. Pushing Sakura away a little, as she thought she was being hostile towards him, she pulled him closer to herself.

He threw his arms around her and locking them behind her back, he drew himself closer to her. He dug his face into her chest and wept like a new born baby.

"Shhh….." She tried to calm him down while running her palm over his back.

"What happened?" She asked Sakura who was still trying to figure out who she was.

Bit by bit she explained everything, and when she completed her narration, she could clearly see her eyes that were getting blood thirsty as every second passed by. She flinched a little at such a threatening sight, and when Neko sensed that, she commanded her to leave.

"But….." Sakura tried to protest, but she was interrupted by Neko's rumbling voice.

"Leave child." And that was the last thing that Sakura heard, before she ran away from there.

"Neko-chan, I…."

"It's Yugao. My name is Yugao Uzuki."

Against the AMBU protocols she publicized her name while on a mission. She knew what a grave mistake it was, but holding the trembling body of the only person, she cared about the most in the world, protocols were the last thing on her mind.

She took her mask off and bringing her face close to his, she said, "From now on, I am not letting you out of my sight even for a second. Nobody will ever dare hurt you." Her voice had lightning in it, and the treat that she was making to world was by no means an empty one.

"Yugao-chan, this village takes away everyone I care about. I am afraid that if I stay in this village, I will end up losing you too." He was still weepy.

She once again pulled him closer and resting her cheek on his head she said, "You are right. This village is not worthy of you. We will leave this place." She lifted him up and ran towards the Hokage office.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto.

 _ **Seven Years Later… About a mile from the Gates of Konohagakure…**_

Two figures could be seen jumping from trees to trees, heading towards the Hidden Village of leaf, Konoha.

One of them is a woman with waist length purple hair and a beautiful heart shaped face. A pink lipstick is adorning her soft lips and a black-colored eye line has done wonders in increasing the beauty of her thin eye lashes. She is wearing a regular Konoha jounin uniform along with a five feet long katana strapped on her back. As the katana suggests she is a kenjutsu user, and a very good one at that. In fact, her prowess as a swordswoman has won her the title of Kenjutsu Mistress in her village.

Jumping a couple of trees ahead is a blonde boy, who seems to be in his early teenage years. He has a black, sleeveless t-shirt cladding the upper half of his body, while a pair of dark blue pants covered his lower half. His face has a black-colored cloth going over the bridge of his nose, concealing more than half of his facial features. Except for his sparkling blue eyes and a couple of bangs covering his forehead, nothing could be specifically told about his face.

"Yugao, we are there." The blonde boy announced when the gates of Konohagakure came into his view.

"So it seems, Naruto." She jumped off the trees landing a few meters ahead of the tree, the boy was standing on.

After a few seconds of staring at the gates with a motionless demeanor, he too jumped off the tree and landed beside her.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I don't know, Yugao... I don't know." He replied with a faraway look in his eyes.

It has been more than seven years since they left their home village to seek residence in Kumogakure, the Hidden Village in Clouds, and what a bliss those years had been. If not for the burden that Naruto had decided to shoulder, they would have most probably never returned to this god forsaken village.

Love was an alien concept for Naruto before he met Yugao and embarked on a journey along with her all those years ago. This village, hailed as one of the strongest hidden village since the establishment of shinobi nations across the world, had never shown any kind of compassion towards the boy. They have cursed him, insulted him with names he did not deserve, beaten him on occasions and denied him any form of humanity. Had it not been for the handful of people, who cared enough for this boy to recognize him as a fellow human being, he would have lost his sanity a long time ago.

Despite Kumo not being the village he was born in, the kindness that he was shown there is far greater than any kind of hatred he ever received in his own village. There, they welcomed him with open arms. They treated him like the kid he was, not like the monster that the inhabitants of Konohagakure claimed him to be. He was respected there; treated like a royalty because of the things he had done for the civilians and shinobis of Kumo. To whichever household he went in Kumo, he was welcomed with a feast waiting for him in their dining room. Girls swooned over him and mothers thought of him as their own child. Not a single soul existed in that village who did not know about the kindness that he held in his heart, and not a single one of them ever bore any evil thoughts about him.

Yet he had to leave that heavenly abode and walk into the very place that gave him the taste of Hell at a tender age. They scarred his life with memories that continue to haunt him even today. There were nights when he would wake up panting and sweating like a scared cat because of the nightmares that wrecked his sleep. All because he promised The Third Hokage, who is his grandfather in all but blood, that he would return one day to take the burden of protecting this village off from his shoulders that had grown weak over years of carrying the title of Hokage.

When he was leaving seven years ago, he vowed that the day, when he would realize that he had grown strong enough to face the evilest of evil and still come out of the predicament with a smile plastered on his face, he would return to his village, to his grandfather, and continue to protect the Will of Fire alongside him.

And apparently the day has finally come.

He had worked like there would be no tomorrow every single day just to ensure that he would be able to keep the word he gave to his grandfather. He had constantly pushed himself beyond the limits to attain the power that his fists withhold. He had endured such levels of pain that no man should be able to withstand in order to become capable of protecting all those, who he held close to his heart. Over years, he had become a being that no human could possibly begin to fathom how to destroy and yet his strength was nothing compared to what laid ahead in his path.

Dark clouds, carrying the thunders of destruction, are headed in the direction of human civilization. The moment they arrive, chaos would reign over humanity. Foes that his forefathers could not even begin to imagine are coming to take the very land that the humans had received life from. These are the enemies that had Naruto break every single bone in his body in order to gain the power that he could use to stand as a shield for the mankind.

What kind of threat is lingering over humanity? Will Naruto be able to protect all those who he cares about? Or will he be defeated and end up losing every single one of them?

Time will be the witness of it all.

But for now, let's watch the return of our protagonist to his home village.

"Halt!" Ordered one of the gatekeepers.

"Who are you? State your purpose of visit." Demanded the other one.

Even though Yugao was in her jounin uniform, the gatekeepers could not possibly let them enter the village that they had sworn to protect, without ensuring that they were not some threat. The possibility of them being someone in disguise was just as much as the possibility that they were the shinobis of Konohagakure, if not more than that. So, though it was kind of rude that they had to show such hostility toward a possible kin of their own village, the gatekeepers did not think twice before enacting the protocols.

"Yugao Uzuki, the Kenjutsu Mistress of Konohagakure no Sato." She stated. "We are returning from a mission of quite a lengthy tenure. Hokage-sama must have sent a word of our arrival to you both." Yugao explained with an impassive tone.

"Yes, we were indeed informed about your arrival." Kotetsu, the taller one of the gatekeepers, said taking out a form to fill the details about their mission. "If you could please show me your ID-card then I can get the formalities out of the way."

It took them some five minutes to clear all the protocols to gain entry into their village. Once done with all that, they immediately headed towards the Hokage tower, built in the center of the village.

 _ **Hokage Tower, Konohagakure….**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi was busy fighting the most formidable foe of his life. The more he tried to defeat them the stronger their retaliation was. The man hailed as the Shinobi No Kami and well known as The Professor throughout the Hidden Villages; the man, who had lead Konoha through two Great Ninja War, was helpless in front of the enemy that had been the bane of his existence ever since the day he took over the Nidaime Hokage. Every single day he woke up with a determination to crush his archenemy, and every night he would have the same defeated look on his face when he went to bed.

Paper works had been the only foe that this Professor had neither been able to defeat nor had he been even able to discover a ninjutsu that could help him tackle the enemy.

He had gone through the first pile of papers for the day and was about to face the second one, when a knock on his office door distracted him.

"Come in." He said lifting his head a little to register the face of the visitor.

The heavy wooden door slid slowly and in came the boy he had been waiting for, impatiently, since the day he sent him away.

"Naruto, my boy!" He exclaimed with a warm smile brightening the wrinkled features of his face.

Naruto had slid the black cloth off his face, giving Hiruzen the full view of his whiskery face. He paced towards the desk, Hiruzen was sitting behind, and engulfed him in a hug.

Oh, how much he had missed the warmth of his grandfather!

"How have you been, old man?"

"J-Just fine, my boy… Just fine."

His voice was a bit shaken, with a few drops of tears in his eyes, while Naruto on the other hand was openly shedding tears. He had missed his old man every single day. Not a day went by when he did not have the urge to see the face of his grandfather, and had it not been for the vow he made that day he would have returned far sooner and let himself be engulfed in his warmth.

Finally, after seven long years, he had the chance to hug his old man, and he was going to savor every single second of the embrace.

"How have your days been, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked once they let go of each other.

"Exciting and Fulfilling, but I missed you so much." He said with a toothy grin on his face.

Hiruzen's day was blessed once he saw the smiling face of his surrogate grandchild. No amount of paper works could possibly make him feel dejected now.

He placed a hand on his head and ruffling his sun-kissed blonde hair, he said, "I too missed you, Naruto, more than you could possibly imagine." He once again pulled him in a tight hug.

"How have you been, Yugao?" Hiruzen asked his former AMBU officer once he had let go of Naruto.

"That blonde bombshell…" She pointed a finger toward Naruto. "He had kept me very busy. Keeping him under check was not an easy task, Hokage-sama."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Trust me, he is one hell of a kid."

"Don't call me a kid, whiny cat!" Naruto threatened her. Well, more like teased her.

"What did you just call me, you little blond?" Yugao inched toward Naruto with a balled fist.

"W-h-i-n-y c-a-t~ Whiny Cat!" He adopted a mocking tone this time.

"Why you little!" Yugao pounced on him and bonked him on his head.

"Ugh!" He gritted his teeth in pain while rubbing his head. "Do you always have to be so violent, Yugao?" He pulled on a genuine hurt expression, before he turned his sullen face in the other direction, away from Yugao.

Now, this was something that she had not experienced. Sure he had been angry with her before, but never had he turned his back on her. He would always face her, even when he was upset, and look directly in her eyes. She had grown so accustomed to seeing his face that she never once imagined how it would feel like to not able to glance into his azure eyes while he was still there beside her.

This was a totally new concept for her and an extremely excruciating one. The dread that embraced her was unbearable. She was being crushed, unaware of the fact that this was all just another one of her favorite blonde's prank. The realization that she could not possibly live with herself knowing the fact that she was the cause of his pain drew in on her, and before she could even think anything further she had engulfed him in her arms.

Naruto was taken off guard by this. He had just planned on teasing her a bit more. He knew that she would start fussing the moment he showed her that he was really upset. It has always been that way. So, once he had won their little game, he would break it to her that he was just messing with her and once again they would be one happy pair. But he never thought that she would take it this seriously. He was flabbergasted, and at the same time a strange happiness sat in his heart.

"Hey Yu-chan, what happened?" He asked her embracing her arms that were wrapped around him.

She was quiet, with her face dug deep into his shoulder.

"Hey?" He nudged her lightly.

She just tightened her embrace as a reply.

While they were lost in their own little ordeal, Hiruzen was completely awed by the way Yugao was acting toward Naruto.

The Kenjutsu Mistress, who he knew was nothing like this one. She did not give a damn about anyone, especially after the death of the Red Headed Habanero, her sensei. Her katana was her only companion and missions are what she lived for. He could have never pictured her for someone caring so deeply for a boy, who was deemed as a Demon by the villagers. It was like she was a different person altogether.

It seems that a lot had changed about them while they were away from their home. Time will only tell him how much had they had been affected by each other's company.

"Naruto." He drew the attention of the blonde toward himself. "Is everything alright?" He asked with a concerned expression.

"Honestly, I too am just as must dumb-founded as you are. I have no idea what came over her suddenly; but do not worry, she will be okay." He said tightening his embrace on her arms. It was just as much soothing for him to be close to her as it was for her to be close to him.

"Okay, if you say so." He turned around, and taking out an envelope from the drawer underneath his desk, he said gesturing him to take it, "This is you registration form. I have already arranged for your admission into the Academy. Go there and ask for Iruka Umino. He is going to be your teacher, though just for a month."

Naruto took the envelope, and tapped on Yugao's right palm suggesting that he was ready to leave the office.

"I will see you after classes then old man." He said with a smile.

"Yes, I will be waiting for you. Once your academy ends for the day, we will head for Ichiraku Ramen Shop. I am sure you must be itching to go there."

"More than you could imagine. See you, old man."

He walked out with Yugao still holding him.

 _ **Outside the Ninja Academy, Konohagakure…**_

Naruto and Yugao are now standing in front of the Academy.

Naruto had once again concealed the whiskers on his face behind the cloth-mask he wore and Yugao had let go of him. She seemed to have calmed down. However, they have yet not talked about her sudden emotional outburst, and most probably they would not need to talk about it either.

When you cross a certain threshold in your relationship with someone, words are not the only way of communicating with them. Something just like that was how it was with these two. A simple eye contact was enough for them to know what the other was thinking. With a tender touch they could convey their feelings for the other. It was like they were connected with some kind of thread. The impulses that ran through the nerves of Yugao could tell Naruto what she was feeling and the impulses that ran through Naruto's neurons could make Yugao realize Naruto's feelings. Together they were one, inseparable. That's how close they have grown in the past nine years. Naruto was Yugao's lifeline. The day anything happened to him will be the day she would take her last breath in this God forsaken world.

"Are you okay now?" Naruto asked her to be sure that he could leave her to her own devices for the day.

She nodded slightly as a reply not trusting her voice to be able to properly convey that to him.

"Okay, then I will meet you after classes." He said drawing her in an embrace.

She too wrapped her arms around him and sniffed his scent as if trying to draw as much of his presence into her system as possible.

After a couple of minutes, she let go of him, and he makes his way inside the building.

At the reception, he asked the lady sitting behind the desk, "Could you please get me Umino-sensei?"

She eyed him curiously. His blonde hair was ringing some bells into her lizard brain. Naruto was fidgeting ever so slightly under the glaring sight of the woman. Had it not been for the face mask that concealed his whiskers, she most probably would have realized that this was none other than the demon brat.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Iruka-sensei?" She asked him in a hostile tone.

"My name is Naruto. Hokage-sama must have informed you about my admission." He showed her the documents.

She ran her eyes through the registration from, still trying to get rid of the itching she had in her mind about the boy's identity. After scratching every corner of his brain and still not able to realize if she knows him or not, she gave up, at least for the time being, and left to get Iruka-sensei.

Naruto let go of a sigh when she left. He was relieved that she did not identify him and felt a satisfaction that his new addition to his attire worked. Though underneath that relief and satisfaction, there was this slight tickling of pain. The realization that she did not even know the real name of the child, she and the others deemed as _The Demon_ , made his heart sink a little. But he did not let that get to him. He had a mission, a purpose. One that he could not fail to attain at any cost. Even if it meant that he would have to suffer through the hateful glares of his fellow villagers, he would not turn back, not after coming this far. His life was full of trials and this was one of them that he had to get through to reach his goal.

The receptionist returned in a couple of minutes with a man, who had a scar running across the bridge of his nose and had his brown hair in a short pony-tail that somehow managed to point in upward direction at an angle of thirty degrees or something like that instead of falling down completely under the effect of gravity. Unable to explain the physically impossible phenomena he chalked it out for some other time, and bowed to the man, who would be his teacher, even though for a short while.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you, Umino-sensei." He greeted him.

Iruka's eyes widened in realization. His name had rung the bell and the memory of the demon brat roaming the streets of the village came rolling back to him. He was not someone, who hated him for what he held inside of him, but he was not also the one who appreciated his presence. The fact that his parents were killed on that night still did not leave his memory palace and his face was still reminder of all the pain he had to go through when he was a child. But he knew in time, he would learn to like the child, especially after what he had heard about him from his Hokage.

Naruto had caught the widening of Umino-sensei's eyes, and was now worried that he would treat him like the other villagers, but along with that worry the realization that this man standing in front of him at least remembered his real name made his lips curve up a little. This behavior of Naruto's was an abnormal one, but definitely an understandable one.

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto-kun. And you can address me as Iruka-sensei, everyone around here does that." He said with a smile on his face.

Though the smile was somewhat a forced one, it was at least a good start for Naruto. It seems that things had changed a little around here too.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei." He bowed his head a little to show his gratefulness and then followed after him to his classroom.

"Class, we have a new student among us today." Iruka announced as he entered drawing everyone's attention toward himself.

"But this is our last year. How come he is admitted this late?" Shikamaru muttered with a raised eyebrow.

Perhaps it was too troublesome for him to force his vocal cords to voice his confusion at a higher tone, or maybe it was because he did not want to sound rude toward the boy, who might have some ugly background that inhibited him from attending the academy earlier. Nobody except him knew the real reason. However, his words did reach Chouji, who was sitting next to him.

"I don't know. Maybe he had some reasons." He replied once he had swallowed the crunched chips in his mouth.

Kiba, however, did not think twice before voicing his concern.

"Iruka-sensei, why is he joining us in the last year?"

"I don't know much about it either, except that he was away from the village and has returned today." He replied before suggesting, "Maybe you can befriend him and he will tell you why." He said with a smile on his face.

Kiba was quiet for a while as if contemplating if it was okay to make him his friends. He then replied with a grin, "Maybe you are right sensei. How about it, um…"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced himself.

"Okay Naruto-kun, you can sit beside Sasuke-kun." He pointed toward the said boy.

Sasuke was seated beside a window at the back of the classroom. He had black hair, with two large bangs framing either side of his face. His eyes were onyx black, and his skin was a bit on the pale side of the spectrum. For Naruto, he was okay except for the aura of broodiness that seemed to be engulfing him. Well, he would see to it if he can do something about that. After all having a massive source of negative aura sitting right beside you can definitely not be good for health. Hell, it was a mystery for him how he could cope with all such sulking and brooding.

"Hello. I am Naruto Uzumaki."

He waited patiently for Sasuke to turn his head toward him and introduce himself, but as seconds turned to minutes he realized that he was not going to say anything.

Maybe he was not audible enough.

"Hello there." He called out once again.

Again no reply.

 _Not much of a talker, I guess._ Naruto sighed and turned his attention toward Iruka-sensei.

 _ **Lunch time… Ninja Academy… Konohagakure…**_

Half of the day had gone by quite peacefully for Naruto, and now he was sitting under a cherry tree, standing magnificently in the middle of the academy's courtyard. His eyes were following the clouds fluttering in the sky. He could see them enter the village perimeters from Far East and floating towards the North as the wind over Konoha carried them in that direction.

He was sitting there alone enjoying the pleasant feeling that the air brushing against his features brought to him. Whenever he felt like he was being overwhelmed with emotions that he did not like to harbor inside of him, he would head towards a desolated place and gladly offer himself to the embrace of Mother Nature. Doing that always calmed him down; helped him get rid of all the unnecessary baggage that decided to cling to his being. Right now was one of those moments.

Ever since he had set foot inside of Konoha he has been feeling this sense of uncertainty inside of him. He was afraid that no matter how strong he had become, all his strength would leave him the moment people started realizing that he was none other than the demon brat. He was scared that he might not be able to withstand that hatred once again. It has not even been a single day since he had returned and he was already missing Kumo. His heart craved for the warmth that he was engulfed with in that village.

It seems that he had not attained the level of maturity that he gave himself the credit for. But could anyone blame him for that? He was just a twelve year old kid. He was supposed to make friends and go out with them while his parents waited for him, impatiently, at his home. He was supposed to be smothered by his mother and adorned by his father. One cannot expect a mere twelve year old kid to withstand hateful glares from his fellow villagers and get cursed by them constantly. Hell, one could not even expect him to train to protect the lives of the very people who would rather see him dead than commend him for saving their lives.

Such was his burden.

He had a lot of weights upon his tender shoulders, and these responsibilities had forced him to mature so fast that before he could even realize his childhood was lost in the vortex surrounding him. The innocence of a child, their playfulness is what makes them so special, but unfortunately for Naruto he did not have a clue if he ever had those characteristics in him.

He was brought out of his stupor when he heard a pair of footsteps heading in his direction. Upon turning his gaze in the direction of the incoming company, he saw a familiar face walking towards him. Her shoulder length pink hair danced gracefully around her features as she got nearer to the cherry tree he was sitting under. She was wearing a pink top and dark blue shorts.

Earlier, in the classroom, he had taken notice of her and was waiting for a proper time to greet her. She was one of the few people who treated him with the kindness he deserved when he was little. He has always regretted that he had to leave without telling her where he was going or when he would return.

"Naruto?" Her voice sounded uncertain as if she was contemplating whether he was the same Naruto she knew or someone else.

"Yes Sakura-chan, it's me. How have you been?" He asked standing up.

The moment he confirmed her suspicions she latched onto him and held him in a tight embrace. It was not long since then when her eyes stopped resisting and tears trailed down her cheeks. She was one of the happiest persons in the world right now. Naruto was back. He was standing in front of her and she could hold him. There was nothing more she needed other than that.

Over the past seven years, not a day had gone by when she did not miss her blond friend. It was excruciating at times when she thought of all the pain he had to suffer through, and the realization that she could not do a damn thing to help alleviate his suffering did not make it any better.

When he disappeared all of a sudden, she was heartbroken. The possibility that she might not be able to see his warm smile ever again almost broke her. She cared far too deeply for him to lose him. She would constantly visit her Hokage's office to ask him about her friend. She knew that Naruto was close to Hokage. She had often heard Naruto refer to him as old man. Hiruzen would always smile reassuringly at her and tell her not to worry, but that does not mean that she could possibly stop worrying about him. There was just no way could she ever forgive herself if something happened to him.

Such was her guilt.

She let go of Naruto when she realized that they have been that way for quite some time. As her eyes trailed down from the mope of blond hair on his head towards his face a frown etched across her face.

"Why are you wearing that mask?" She asked rubbing the back of her hand against her moist cheeks.

"Well, how should I put this?" He paused for a moment and then with a sigh he began again, "You know about the villagers' attitude towards me, right?"

She nodded.

"This mask is a safety measure. I know that it's not enough, but I am hoping that it would help me keep my identity a secret to some extent." He explained tracing his right index finger along the border of his mask.

"But it has been seven years, Naruto. Much has changed ever since you left."

"I am afraid that it is not assuring enough for me to walk without this mask in the village streets, Sakura." He said with a disappointed look in his eyes. "But let's not talk about that right now. Tell me how you have been."

"That reminds me…. " She paused for a moment to take a step back from him. "I did not tell you how angry I was when you left without telling me, did I?"

The second those words left her mouth her right hand was implanted on his cheek.

 _Okay, I deserve that._ He thought rubbing his cheek that just had to endure his friend's rage.

"Never, and I mean NEVER, do that again. Do you understand?" She said in a viciously threatening tone.

He simply nodded like a dumb person. What else could he do? If he said anything other than what she expected, he will have to endure her wrath once again. So, he just decided to go with the safest option that the situation offered him.

"Good. Now, tell me how you have been."

It was more like a demand than a question.

He gulped before he began, "I have been good. I was in Kumogakure for the past seven years. Old man sent me there along with Yugao. He believed that it was necessary that I stayed away from this village for some time." He decided to keep the explanation as short as possible.

"Okay. For now, I won't ask any questions regarding why you did not tell me before leaving or why Hokage-sama decided to send you to some other shinobi village. But remember this Naruto Uzumaki we are not done with this talk, and when you are ready to talk about it I want you to tell me every detail of your life in Kumo."

Again her tone was autocratic, and other than nodding to that Naruto could do nothing.

 _ **Night Time… Outside Hokage Tower…**_

His first day at Ninja Academy had been better than he had anticipated. There were some suspicious glare sent in his direction every now and then, but nothing he could not handle. Well, except for one thing. The living, breathing source of broodiness stationed beside him while he was in his classroom was something that he could not appreciate. Besides, the attitude of girls in his class towards this brooder, whose name was still a mystery to him, was something even more weird.

He was curios.

What could have possibly happened that could make a person ignore the existence of his fellow classmates as if they were not even visible? And why were the girls behaving so awkwardly around him? It was like watching a cartoon or something. The more the girls tried to interact with him, the further he withdrew himself in a corner and continue ignoring their existences once again. It was funny. In fact, Naruto even ended up laughing once, and his behavior was not well received by his fellow classmates, especially by the fan club of The Almighty Brooder.

What surprised him the most was that even Sakura was one of the girls, who were swooning over him. Though not to the extent of a certain blond haired girl. But then again the line of difference between them was very thin, and with a little effort Sakura could be hailed as the number one fan of our dear Mr. Brooder. Perhaps seeing the face of her childhood friend after seven years had taken a toll on her enthusiasm and she was preoccupied with some thoughts about her blond friend, Naruto Uzumaki.

"How was your first day at the academy?" Hiruzen asked him as he walked out of the Tower and stood in front of Naruto, who seemed to be lost in a world of his own.

"Huh? ... Ah, old man!" He exclaimed as he brought himself out of his thoughts and greeted the leader of his village.

"How was your day at the academy?" He asked Naruto once again.

"Better than I had anticipated. Comparatively less questions were asked about my background and why I was joining the academy this late, and I was even able to reunite with an old friend of mine." He said following after his grandfather while heading in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"So, you talked with Sakura-chan. How is she? You know, when you left she was very worried about you and would often come to my office to ask about your well-being." Hiruzen puffed out a cloud of smoke from his pipe.

"Oh trust me, she did not forget to mention that to me, and even made it quite clear that if were to leave next time without telling her about it, she would see to it personally that I suffered." He said scratching his right cheek and wincing at the memory of being slapped by her.

Hiruzen laughed at his antics.

"By the way old man, do you know anything about this black haired guy from my class? He has dark onyx eyes, and his hair at the back of his head is of duck's butt shape." He said waving his hands behind his head to give his grandfather a clear picture of what he was trying to say.

"You must be talking about Sasuke Uchiha." Sarutobi said assuming a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So, his name is Sasuke and he is an Uchiha. Well, why is he always brooding? And what's the deal all these girls swooning over him?"

Hiruzen was quiet for a while, and then with a sigh he began.

"You see, he lost all his family members and his entire clan during an incident five years back. He has got nobody waiting for him at his home anymore. Ever since that ominous night he had withdrawn himself into a shell, Naruto. He is afraid that if he bonded with someone else he might not be able to withstand losing them too." He said in a sad tone.

Hiruzen tried his best to get the boy to talk to him. It was his negligence and inability of keeping his subordinates in check that led to this boy's nightmares. So, he did all he could to ensure that he did not end up like his brother wanted him to be, all dark and gloomy, and do the same thing one day that he did. But alas, all his efforts were in vain and Sasuke ended up just like his nii-san told him to be. He started walking down the path of an avenger.

"Well, that's a sad story. However, to have such a pessimistic view about his life, it's even sadder."

"It indeed is, my boy. But you have to understand that not everyone is as strong as you are. You were able to smile even on days when you were offered nothing but hatred from this world." He said with a warm smile on his face.

"Well, I had you and Yugao looking over me." Naruto said as he lifted the curtain hanging on Ichiraku Ramen Shop's front-end and walked inside and his grandfather followed his suit.

"Hey Teuchi-jii-san!" He greeted the owner of the shop as he walked towards the counter.

"Do I know you?" Teuchi asked looking skeptically at his new customer from his head to toe while trying to scratch his already withering memory to look for the answer of his own question.

"Naruto, is that you?" His daughter, who was standing him, asked in an uncertain tone.

"Indeed Ayame-chan. I am glad at least one of you remembers me." He said with a grateful look in his eyes.

"Naruto!" Teuchi exclaimed when realization dawned upon him. He walked to the front of the counter and quickly engulfed the blond in a hug.

Oh, how much he had missed his favorite customer!

It was like his day was never complete until he had made a meal for Naruto, and ever since he had left, Teuchi always had this dissatisfaction brimming him when he went to bed every night. Finally, he will be able to spend a fulfilling day and go to sleep with a smile of satisfaction on his face. Naruto might not know this, but along with his departure he took a part of this shop with himself, and it took seven years for this shop to feel complete once again.

What a long seven years it had been for the Ichirakus!

No sooner did Teuchi let go of Naruto than his daughter, Ayame, pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around him, burying his face into her ample breasts.

"Naruto!" She whispered as tears of joy spill from her eyes and rolled down her soft cheeks.

"I missed you so much." She tightened her embrace without realizing that she was straddling him.

It was only when he tapped on his forearm desperately, she realized that his face was in an uncomfortable position.

Naruto took a deep breath to fill his lungs with the much needed quantity of air to make for the breaths he lost while buried in Ayame's chest. The memory of it brought a dust of pink on his cheek.

"Geez Ayame-chan, did you forget that I am boy?" He asked while trying to get rid of the blush embracing his face.

"Well, I guess I got too excited." She said scratching her cheek in an innocent manner.

"But aren't you glad, dear brother, that you get to feel such fine bosoms of your nee-chan?" She said in a playful tone.

"Oh, how sad I am feeling right now to find out that you turned out to be a pervert, Ayame-chan. You really need a boyfriend to keep your hormones under check." He said with a disappointed look in his eyes.

And that was it.

"You little!" She pounced on him like an angry cat and bonked him on his head. "That smart tongue of yours has not changed even a bit, I see." She bonked him again.

"Ouch! Why is it that every woman I know just like to take a swing at me?" He muttered while rubbing his head.

While the two were busy playing their little game of cat and mouse, Hiruzen and Teuchi were looking at them with a warm smile grazing the wrinkled features of their faces.

"Ahem!" Teuchi drew the attention of the pair towards himself.

"What would you like to eat Naruto?" He asked walking behind the counter.

"One bowl of miso ramen and one of pork ramen for starters." He said walking towards the table, lying beside the counter and taking a seat.

Hiruzen too followed Naruto's suit and took a seat beside him while Ayame walked behind the counter to help her father after taking their Hokage's orders.

"So, how have things been, Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked moving to his third bowl of miso ramen.

"Good mostly, except for the fact that you were not around anymore." She said as sadness filled her heart when she remembered how lonely she felt without her blond brother beside her.

"I am sorry that I had to leave without telling you two." He said apologetically.

"Things were not looking good back then, Ayame-chan. The only way that old man could keep me safe was by sending me away." He explained.

"I tried to keep him safe here, but I guess I failed, and I could not gamble with his life anymore. Maybe some time away was what he and the villagers needed to realize that the time had come when they put the incident behind them." Hiruzen said placing the chopsticks he used back inside the empty bowl.

"How are you taking it?" Ayame asked in a concerned tone.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it much. Right now, I am trying my best to keep people from noticing that it's me, their nemesis." He pointed to the cloth-mask hanging around his neck.

There was no one around except them for the time being, so fortunately he could eat his favorite ramen without blowing his cover.

"Hey, I am here whenever you need to talk to someone." She said placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Ayame-chan."

With that he got up to leave. He asked for the bill, but Teuchi refused saying that it was a welcoming meal for him. So, he thanked him and then along with his grandfather, he walked out of the shop after bidding a good night to the Ichirakus.

"I guess I will hit home then old man." Naruto said as they walked out.

"Okay, good night."

Hiruzen turned around and headed towards the Hokage Tower while Naruto turned in the other direction and jumping on a roof nearby, he took off towards his apartment.

 _ **A few minutes later… At Naruto's apartment...**_

 _It has been quite a while._ He reminisced about the old days as she hopped up the stairs. When he got to the door of his apartment, he noticed that it wasn't locked. It did not take him long to realize that Yugao was inside. So, he twisted the door knob and pushing it open, he walked inside.

He discarded his shinobi sandals at his door steps and walked towards the living room. There his eyes were graced with the sleeping form of Yugao. She was on his couch, sleeping blissfully. He walked towards her with soft footsteps and crouched beside her.

 _She must be really tired._ He thought as he poked her cheeks.

"Mhmm…" She purred and shifted her head a little.

 _Damn, she is cute! Just like a kitten._

"Hey!" He tapped on her shoulder.

Slowly she opened her eyes and adjusting her sight to the light of the lamp, she turned her face completely towards Naruto.

"How was your day?" She asked running a thumb along the whisker marks on his cheek.

"It was fun." He replied with a satisfied look on his face. He had got rid of his mask on the way his way to the couch.

"Did you eat something?" She asked sitting up.

"Yeah. You?" He sat beside Yugao and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I ate while I was with Kurenai and Anko." She said as she intertwined her left hand fingers with his right. "How are you handling your return?"

"Not good, Yu-chan. I want to go back to Kumo already."

"Well then let's go. I don't want you to be sad. There is nothing more important to me than your happiness." She leaned her head on his.

"You know that I cannot go back, Yugao. Besides, I am not sad. I just miss being in Kumo. Anyways, let's not talk about that anymore. I am pretty sure I will end up running back to Kumo if we stretch this talk any further."

"Okay, as you wish. Then, let's talk about your day at the academy. Did anything interesting happen?"

"Yeah, a couple of things."

"Well…?

"I met with Sakura-chan. She is in my class. And the most surprising encounter was Sasuke, Itachi's brother. You know, he never mentioned that he has a brother."

"Yeah?" She asked with a surprised look on his face.

He nodded.

"Well, when he was an AMBU he would always be alone except when on missions. So, I guess it's not that big of a surprise that I did not know that." She said before asking about him, "How is he?"

"Um… Gloomy." He answered while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, that's expected I guess. What do you expect of someone whose entire clan was murdered by his brother?"

"You do have a point there. Still, the path he is walking on has nothing but darkness ahead. I don't think he is as strong as Itachi to face the demons beneath the road he has taken."

"Do not get involved with him, Naruto. He might have gone too far to return back anymore." She warned him.

"I don't think so, Yugao. He might have peaked into the abyss, but I am pretty sure that the abyss had not yet peaked inside of him. I want to try. If I can do anything to help him out of that darkness, I will not back down. After all, I have a debt to pay."

"You are not going to listen to me, are you?"

"Don't worry, Yugao. It's not like he can do anything to me. Besides, I just want us to be friends."

"Yeah, like that worked out well with his brother. How can I not be worried about you when I know that you are going to get hurt in the end?" She asked tightening the embrace on his fingers.

"I have not yet lost hope in my friendship with Itachi. I still believe that we can find our paths back to each other." He said getting up. "Anyways, let's go to bed. I am feeling a bit tired." He extended his hand towards her.

She placed her hand on his and pulled herself to her feet. Then they walked inside the single bedroom, and climbing into the bed beside the sole window in the room, they fell asleep in each other's embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Naruto.

 _ **Kumogakure no Sato….**_

Yugito sat in her bed staring out the window. It has been almost a week since she had stepped out of her apartment. The village that she was born in and has grown up to be one of the strongest kunoichi, the village has ever seen, was now just a constant reminder of the one person that helped her get to the point she was at right now.

He was the first person to acknowledge her existence. He was the one who saw her for who she was and not for what she holds inside of her. He was the one who helped her get through every trial of her life and come out at the other end with a victorious smirk on her face. He held her hands and stood by her side whenever she needed him. Someone was there for her; someone who cared enough to come running to her aid whenever she was facing any kind of danger.

But now he was gone.

He left her without saying any words. Had he asked her to come with him, she would have done that in a heartbeat. He was the center of her universe. He was the one who she lived for, and yet he left her behind and went into the very hell hole he wanted to escape from when he first came to her village.

She could not understand why he even wanted to go to that damned village, where he received nothing but hatred. He was beaten there, scorned by every single person and cursed for something he had no control over. She was worried for him; afraid that once again he would have to go through the same hell, he was once subjected to when he was a kid.

The very thought of someone trying to hurt him made the blood in her vessels boil. She could not bear the thought of everyone trying to call him with names that he, not in the least, deserved. She would not let anyone even dare to look at him with eyes filled with hatred. She would rather turn someone blind than let them glare him, and maybe even rip them apart if those fools tried to lift a finger at him.

The anger she felt when she imagined him being looked down upon was something she could not describe. It sort of amazed her that she cared for him so deeply that she could very well kill for him, and this fact was clear to him even more than it was to her. Maybe that is the reason why he decided to leave her behind, but the realization did not make it easy for her to accept the truth that he was not by her side anymore. He has left for a journey she did not know he would return from safely, but other than praying that he would be okay and she would be able to somehow help him in achieving the goals of his life she could do nothing.

As memories of the time she spent with him talking, sparring, going on missions together and taking care of him after the soul crushing training he went through every day came back to her she felt tears welling up in her eyes, and a few moments later the barrier, she tried so desperately to uphold, gave away and out came tears that flooded her eyes as they trailed down her cheeks. Yugito had lost count of the hours she had spent crying since the moment she received the news of him leaving the village.

 _Why did you leave?_

She thought as she rubbed the back of her hand against her face to dry her moist cheeks despite knowing that they would be wet again in no time. It was a futile effort and yet she could not keep herself from making that pointless effort over and over again. She did not like to cry. It made her look so weak, and she despised appearing weak, especially when she was not with him. But alas this was not her day indeed. For no matter how much she tried her tears glands would just not hold up.

She let out an exhausted sigh, something that she has been doing a lot lately, and was about to let her back hit the soft mattress of her bed when she heard a knock on her door.

Instead of responding to the knock, she just sat there motionlessly, glaring at the doorway. She did not want anyone to see her in the state she was in right now.

But perhaps the person on the door had some other intentions. After waiting for a couple of minutes and not getting any response for his knock, he banged on the door once again.

"Who is it?" Came the angry growl of the blonde woman, who resided in the apartment.

"It's me C. Open the door, Yugito. I have got message from Raikage-sama." The man now identified as C made the purpose of his visit known to Yugito.

"Tell him that I don't want to go on any missions." She responded in a voice that seemed to be devoid of any kind of emotion.

 _Man, she is receding to her old self. You really should not have left her._

C thought before he gathered himself to deliver the news that the Raikage had sent him for. "It has got to do with him."

The moment those words left his mouth, his head was slammed against the wall opposite to the door, and he was held a foot above the floor by an utterly pissed Yugito. She was glaring daggers at him.

"Is he back?"

C just sighed before he began again.

"No." He said, and in an instant he felt Yugito's grip tighten around his neck.

"B-But he has sent a letter." He said trying to get out of the suffocating hold she had on his neck.

Yugito withdrew her hand, and let him slide down the wall and stand on his feet again. No sooner did the soles of the ninja sandal, he was wearing, touched the floor than she held her right arm, with her palm outstretched, in front of him.

"Give it to me."

"It's with Raikage-sama." He said rubbing the side of his neck.

"Let's go then." She dashed down the stairs and out on the streets. Once under the clear, blue sky, she took to the roof and ran towards the Raikage Building at a pace, C was barely able to keep up with.

The Raikage was sitting behind his desk working on the pile of papers in front of him frantically while glancing at the blue envelope that sat at the corner of his desk every now and then.

All of a sudden his senses spiked, and he felt someone approaching towards the building at a praise-worthy speed. He closed his eyes and let his senses float as farther as possible to grasp the identity of the one, who was so desperate to get inside his office. A small smile grazed his lips as he opened his eyes and they once again fell upon the blue envelope resting on his desk.

 _She has finally left her apartment._ He thought as he picked up the envelope and ran the tip of his right thumb on the seal that covered half of the envelope's front face.

It glowed blue for a second before the seal receded to its original state, and the Raikage felt a burning sensation on the tip of his thumb. He placed the envelope back on the desk and rubbed his thumb to soothe the pain. His eyes lit up, and a smile grazed the wrinkled features of his face once again.

 _So, it is meant only for her._

He was brought out of his musing when Yugito landed in front of him.

"Where is it?" She asked in a desperate tone.

Knowing what she meant, the Raikage took the letter off his desk and gave it to her. Her hands were shaking as she held the letter in her hands. More than two weeks had passed since he left this place, and this was the first contact he had made with them. She was going to savor every word that was written on the paper held within the confinement of the blue envelope.

She ran the tip of her right index finger on the seal. Like before the seal began to glow blue. Only this time the black letters that constituted the seal began to move apart and made their way to the four corners of the envelope. Then the glow turned to red as the letters in the corner of the rectangular wrapper started burning away, indicating that the seal had accepted the touch of Yugito's index finger. Soon the letters disappeared completely and there was a puff of smoke. When it cleared a scroll landed in Yugito's hands.

She opened it, and began running her eyes through the words imprinted on the scroll.

 _Hey Yu-chan! How are you….I guess it's a wrong way to start this. So,_ _let me apologize first. I am sorry for leaving without informing you. I know that you had every right to know that I was not going to stay in the village anymore, and believe me I was going to tell you about it. But, on the night before I was about to leave, when I was on my way to your place to tell you what I was going to do, your face popped in my head all of a sudden, and before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I had turned around and was walking away from your apartment. Every step I took was like placing my bare feet on burning lava. A part of me was screaming to me - 'What the hell are you doing? Just turn around and go tell her.' And I was about to do just that, but every time I gathered the strength to come to you, I was stopped by this tiny part of me, who was trying to keep me away from you. I stood motionless for countless minutes contemplating what to do. Unimaginable number of thoughts ran through my mind, and when I have explored every possibility, in the end, I decided not to tell you. I knew that I would regret the decision, but compared to the pain that I would feel to tell you that I was leaving while looking at you, it was nothing. So, I took the coward's way out, and left without even saying goodbye._

 _I know we will meet in the future, but I don't know if things will remain the same, for I am afraid that what lies ahead of us will test the strength of the bond we share. Though I know that what we have between us is not fragile enough to break because of a few strains, I cannot help but feel restless. So, I want you to train yourself. Become stronger than you are now, Yu-chan, and I will do the same so that when time comes I will be able to stand in front of you as your shield and protect you from any harm._

 _Please forgive me, Yu-chan, for not bringing you with me. We have our own paths to follow, and I am sure that no matter what path we take, we both are destined to be united. So, goodbye till the day we meet again._

 _Your friend,  
Naruto_

Tears rolled down her eyes once again. She rolled the scroll, and bringing it close to her chest, hugged it tightly as if it was her life line. The Raikage got off his seat and walked towards Yugito. He placed his arm on her shoulder and pressed it gently as if trying to convey that everything was going to be alright.

"Don't worry Yugito, you will meet him soon." He said with a reassuring smile on his face.

She simply nodded in response, while thinking about the day when she will meet her blonde friend once again.

 _ **Training Ground 12, Konohagakure….**_

Kakashi stood a few feet away from the blonde enigma, whose return he had been waiting for anxiously. His eyes were looking into the eyes of the blonde. They were a mystery to him. No matter how much he tried he could never comprehend how those deep cerulean blue eyes could hold so much mirth and happiness after going through unimaginable amount of pain at such a tender age. And his personality was just as much of a mystery to him as his eyes. Even after being beaten and cursed by the villagers, he did not even think twice before proclaiming that he was going to protect them with all the strength in his body. He was willing to give away his life for the very people who continue to scorn him even after twelve years has elapsed since the nightmare.

How could he be so kind hearted even after being subjected to so much hatred?

This question has given him enough headache for the past fifteen days, and he was absolutely sure that it will continue to pester him for the rest of his life.

Perhaps the fact that he was his sensei's son was the answer to this question. However, he could not help but think that was the answer this simple. However, this was not the time to ponder upon the conflicts that have been arising in his mind lately, for the blonde in front of him was his opponent right now, and if even half of the things he had heard about him for the past couple of years were true, he was going to have a very difficult time dealing with him.

"Are you ready Naruto?" He asked.

"I think so." He answered scratching his right cheek with his index finger.

"Very well." Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate that covered his right eye to reveal his fully matured sharingan, and slipped himself into his taijutsu from.

The moment his right foot landed on the ground and he firmed his stance, Naruto was in front of him with his fist cocked back. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. He was sure that the blonde would be fast, but this? This was beyond his imagination. If it were not for the sharingan he would not have even register his form landing in front of him. Even then he was only able to see him when he was right in front of him, and it was already too late to dodge the punch. So, he crossed his arms in front of him and dug his feet into the ground to firm his defensive form. Naruto's fist made impact, and the bones in his fore-arms almost gave away. As the impact of the punch subsided, he jumped a few feet back. His hands were numb and his mind was busy comprehending what just happened right now.

"What the hel….."

The words died down in his mouth when he saw Naruto in front of him once again. This time his right foot was flying towards him, and even though his sharingan could register the movement of his leg, he knew that he would not be able to dodge it again. So, he did the next best thing he could. He brought his right arm to his side and placed his left arm behind his right to provide a support for his defensive from. Naruto's foot made contact, and Kakashi was sent flying back. His flight continued for a couple of meters before he bent his from a little and brought his left palm in contact with the ground to provide some resistance.

The moment he stopped his head shot towards the right and out of habit he jumped away. As he jumped he saw Naruto's kick make contact with the ground, and a crater formed instantly. His eyes went wide at the impact, and the realization that if he took this even a little less seriously he would be crushed dawned upon him. However, the way things were right now, it seemed that in the end the result was going to be the same no matter what he did.

Shaking his head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts, he landed on a nearby tree. No sooner did he land than his hands were running through a set of hand seals.

 _Horse, tiger, serpent, ram, monkey, boar, horse and tiger._

' _Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu'_ Kakashi thought before inhaling an insane amount of air and blowing it out at an impressive speed.

As the air, welling up inside of Kakashi's lungs, began to pour out it took the form of a giant ball of fire and rolled towards Naruto at a neck-break speed.

Seeing Kakashi's fire ball inching closer every second, he began going through his own set of hand seals.

 _Bird, boar, dog, dragon, rabbit, horse, ox, monkey, ram, rat, snake and tiger._

After completing the hand seals, he spat mud from his mouth on the ground in front of him while holding the tiger seal.

"Doton: Doryuheki!" He pronounced the name of his jutsu, and a brown earth rose in Naruto's defend.

Kakashi's Katon Jutsu collided with Naruto's Doton Jutsu, and in a matter of second the entire area was engulfed in a huge explosion.

Kakashi concentrated his sharingan on the area filled with smoke in an effort to decipher Naruto's movement, but so far he could see nothing. Then all of a sudden he felt a chakra spike from behind and he turned around instantly to come in face with Naruto, whose hands were blurring through another set of hand seals.

'When did he get there?' Kakashi thought as the three tomoe of his sharingan began spinning in order to recognize the jutsu that Naruto was about to use.

His left eye widened when he realized what jutsu Naruto was about to use.

'He has two different chakra affinities?' Kakashi thought, but soon his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 'But there is no water source within a diameter of one mile. Wait a sec…. Don't tell me…'

Kakashi jumped off the tree branch and landed on the ground before running his hands through the seals for Doton: Doryuheki.

… _Dragon, ram, rat, ox, monkey, bird, rat, ram and bird._ Naruto finished the hand seals for the jutsu he was about to use.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" Naruto stated the name of his jutsu.

Soon, the temperature of the training ground 12 started rising as the molecules of hydrogen and oxygen from the air began to combine to provide the water required for the jutsu. In a fraction of second, water was encircling around Naruto, and from it rose the head of a dragon to a height of ten feet before it glared at Kakashi, who was at the last hand seal for the Doryuheki jutsu, and made its way towards him.

Kakashi stared at the water dragon coming for him at a speed he could only wish for. He slammed his hand on the ground beneath him and earth wall rose from it. The dragon's head collided with the wall and penetrated a couple of feet before deforming. Water splashed everywhere, and before Kakashi could breathe a sigh of relief, his left eye perceived movement towards his left. As he turned his head, he saw Naruto running towards him with an unsheathed katana in his hand.

He drew a kunai from the pouch on the back of his belt, and brought it in front of him to counter Naruto's attack. Within a second Naruto was upon Kakashi slashing his katana towards his mid-section. Kakashi lifted his left hand a little with the kunai held in it in reverse direction, and grabbing the wrist of his left arm with his right hand, he waited for the strike to come.

Naruto's bladed made contact, and sparks lightened the area around it as it slid along the length of Kakashi's kunai. He then let go of the hilt of his katana, and spun on the heel of his sandals. While spinning he grabbed the katana's hilt with his left hand and brought it down upon Kakashi from his right.

Kakashi's sharingan was working in an overdrive. Naruto's movements were too fast to predict even with his left eye. One moment he was trying to slash him and the other moment he was spinning around. Even the hand in which he was holding his blade has switched. He was unimaginably fast. Fighting with him in close quarters was out of question.

So, once he had dealt with the slash of Naruto's blade that came down upon him from his right, he jumped back into the woods.

However, the moment his feet touched the branch of the tree, he chose to jump on, Naruto was right beside him going for his head this time. His sword was inching closer. His left eye could see that, but the kunai was in his opposite hand and he knew that if he went for blocking the attack of Naruto's katana this time, he would not be able to come out of it unscathed. So, reluctantly, he lifted his right hand to his chest level and directed his lightning chakra to his palm.

Lightning started dancing around his palm, and the area surrounding them was engulfed with a sound of thousand birds' chirping.

"Chidori!" Kakashi voiced the name of his patent jutsu.

Naruto's eyes widened when he realized what Kakashi was about to do. His own movement was too fast to stop the attack he was about to deliver to Kakashi, and if he did not stop then his chest would be impaled with Kakashi's Chidori, and most likely his blade would behead Kakashi.

Running out of options to deal with the situation in front of him, Naruto immediately dug his left hand into the pouch on his right thigh. He brought out a kunai, and threw it towards his right. It sailed through the air, and dug itself into the trunk of the tree it made contact with.

Kakashi failed to register what it was exactly that Naruto had thrown, but he knew that if he took his eye off Naruto, he could very well kiss his life a goodbye. So, he fixed his stare at Naruto, and waited for his Chidori and Naruto's blade to make impact. However, the moment his Chidori was about to touch Naruto, he disappeared in a flash.

His eye widened once again, and his headed jerked to his left. There he was holding the very kunai that his sensei used to disappear and appear on a battlefield. He could not believe what he has just witnessed. His face was pale, and the memories of the time he spent with his opponent's father and his team-mates were flashing in front of his eyes.

"You can use that jutsu?" He asked in a whisper.

But Naruto did not answer; instead he threw the tri-pronged kunai towards Kakashi at a speed, his three-tomoe sharingan could barely keep up with. However, the angle of the kunai was such that he would not have got hurt even if he did not move. But he knew better than to be so arrogant to think that Naruto has missed him. So, without even a second thought, he jumped off the tree branch.

As Kakashi's feet left the branch Naruto appeared by the tri-pronged kunai and catching it, he threw it in the direction he saw Kakashi took off, and disappeared in a flash once again.

Kakashi saw Naruto's kunai flying in his direction, so he raised his kunai to counter any attack. When it was a couple of feet away from him, Naruto appeared in front of him. He caught the kunai with his left hand, and swung the blade, he held in his right, towards his mid-section.

Kakashi countered the attack with his left hand, and when the blades made contact he channeled his lighting chakra into his kunai. The lightning travelled down his kunai and Naruto's blade, and towards his hand that grip the hilt of the katana.

Naruto threw the tri-pronged kunai towards his left, and it embedded into a tree's truck. Then he placed his left palm over his right bicep. Seals began spreading down the point of contact, and soon his entire fore-arm was covered in black seal letters.

Kakashi's lightning made its way towards the hilt of his blade, and when it made contact with Naruto's hand, it started getting absorbed into the seal that was wrapping Naruto's fore-arm. When Kakashi realized what was exactly going on, he quickly withdrew his chakra, and taking another kunai from his pouch, he hurled it towards Naruto's mid-section.

As his left arm was occupied maintaining the composure of his seal, Naruto knew that he would not be able to stop the kunai. So, he activated his Hiraishin jutsu and flashed to the tree into which the tri-pronged kunai was embedded.

"It's about time that we finished this Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he stood up.

"Yeah, I am running out of chakra. So, it would be better to get done with this." Kakashi said as he gripped the wrist of his right hand with his left, and lightning started engulfing his right hand.

Naruto too gripped the wrist of his right hand, and the seals that were spread around his fore-arm started moving towards his palm. Once all the black letters were concentrated on his palm, it began to glow brightly, and soon his right hand was engulfed with lightning chakra, just like Kakashi.

"How can you do this?!"

Kakashi cannot keep the bewilderment that he was feeling within his stomach anymore. At every single step of the spar between them the blonde has amazed him. First his speed, then his two chakra affinities followed by his use of an A-class water jutsu without any source of water nearby. Then he witnessed the use of his sensei's jutsu. Now, the blonde was using the very jutsu that he had created, and had never thought anyone yet.

How could Naruto do a jutsu that only he was capable of doing? How could Naruto use Chidori?

These questions were racking his brain, but before he could ponder any further he heard footsteps approaching him. He brought himself out of his stupor, and ran towards Naruto.

"Chidori!" Kakashi voiced the name of his jutsu.

"Chidori!" Naruto mimicked Kakashi.

Their jutsus collided, and began fighting for dominance. Kakashi knew that he would not be able to keep up the jutsu for a long time, so he poured the last bit of chakra he could afford into his Chidori to overwhelm Naruto. But unfortunately for him, Naruto was chakra freak. Thanks to his immense chakra pool, he could go on fighting for hours before feeling the exhaustion take over him. So, there was no way Kakashi could win a battle of chakra against Naruto.

Naruto too increased the amount of chakra for his jutsu, and within a matter of second overwhelmed Kakashi's Chidori. There was a huge explosion as a result. The gust of wind flowing out of the epicenter of the explosion uprooted a few trees in the vicinity.

As the dust engulfing the area cleared, Kakashi could be seen on his right knee panting while he held his right arm with his left. Naruto, on the other hand, stood in front of Kakashi looking down on the exhausted form of Kakashi. He offered his hand for help.

"Here, let me help you."

Kakashi took Naruto's hand, and using it as a support stood on his feet. He let out an exhausted sigh of relief, and ran his mind through the spar once again. When he was done with summarizing what has happened in the past half an hour, he fixed his gaze on Naruto and voiced the question that has been eating him for a couple of minutes.

"How could you use my jutsu? I am pretty sure that I have never thought anyone. From whom could you have possibly learned it?"

"Err… How about we head to old man's office first?" He said scratching the back of his head.

Kakashi simply nodded, and Naruto flashed them to the Hokage's office.

 _ **Hokage Tower, Konohagakure…**_

Sarutobi was sitting behind his desk with a gapping mouth. He had witnessed the spar between Kakashi and Naruto through his all-seeing crystal ball, and saying that he was surprised would be an understatement of the century.

Naruto had at least two chakra affinities, and that too the same as the Shodaime's. He could even use seals, and has learnt the most popular signature jutsu of the Yondaime's. Besides, how he could use Kakashi's Chidori was another big question. He glanced at Yugao, who was standing beside him and has witnessed the entire battle too, with a raised eyebrow. In return, she just smiled, and turned her head in the direction she felt Naruto's chakra.

Soon, Naruto appeared with Kakashi leaning against him for support.

"Hey Yugao, old man!" He greeted them as he helped Kakashi to a chair in front of the Hokage's desk.

"So, did you two enjoy the show?" He asked Sarutobi taking notice of the crystal ball on his desk in front of him.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, before he puffed a cloud smoke from his pipe, and sorted the questions that he had in his mind.

"Very much. The look on Kakashi-senpai's was priceless." Yugao chirped.

"I am glad to have pleased you."

"You do realize that every time you enjoyed the stupid look on my face this Blondie beside me was actually coming after me with an intent to kill." Kakashi said with a dumb-founded look on his face.

"I know, but to watch the great Sharingan no Kakashi run from hither to thither for his life, and that too at the hands of a twelve year old kid is so exhilarating. I cannot help but smirk at that." She said in a cheery tone.

"Well, what can I say? I really got my ass handed to myself this time. But rather than taking about me I would like to know how he used Chidori." He turned his gaze towards Naruto.

Naruto slid the black cloth, covering the bottom half of his face, down and turning towards Kakashi, he began his explanation.

"You noticed the seals on my right arm, right?" He asked.

Kakashi nodded.

"Well, the job of that seal is to absorb the chakra that touches it, and to store it in the array associated with the seal. As you know, chakra together with our spiritual energy constitute our life force. So, whenever we use chakra we are extracting a part of our life force from ourselves and pouring it into the jutsus we use. As the chakra replenishes the magnitude of the life force is restored in our body."

Naruto paused for a moment.

"Another characteristic of the seal is to absorb the essence of life force from the chakra it has captured, and store it into another variable. So, when you used the lightning chakra to wrap around your kunai and attempted to shock me, I used my seal to absorb the chakra and separate the life force within the chakra I absorbed. Since, the technique you used against me was a suppressed form of Chidori, the life force that flowed through your chakra had the fingerprints of Chidori written all over it. Now, having separated your fingerprint of Chidori from the chakra I absorbed, all I had to do was use that to shape the form of the absorbed chakra to produce something similar to Chidori."

He completed his explanation.

The Shinobi no Kami, who was seated on the other side of the desk was listening to Naruto's explanation with widened eyes. He could not believe that someone so young could design such an intricate seal. Fuinjustu is considered as the most complex ninja art for a reason. What Naruto had just told them would take even a seal master years to accomplice, and he has done it at such a young age. He could not even begin to comprehend the blonde's ingeniousness in the art.

The working of the seal was just like Sharingan. Those eyes could copy any move just by glancing at them. The only difference was that the seal had to come in contact with the jutsu-user's chakra. The possibilities that the seal could open are unimaginable.

"What about the Hiraishin jutsu? How did you learn that?" Sarutobi asked.

"Ah that jutsu! Well, it is thanks to Ero-sennin that I have that famed jutsu in my arsenal. He was the one who gave me the Yondaime's notes on that jutsu. Ero-sennin told me that he tried to decipher it, but the seal was too complex for him." Naruto answered.

"Ero-sennin?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh sorry! I forgot that you two don't know that nickname. Well, I like to call Jiraiya-sensei that."

At this Sarutobi's face lit up in amazement and he could not help but smile. Naruto's words brought back the memory of a certain red-headed.

 _You would be so proud of him if you were here right now._

"And what about the Suiton jutsu you used? There was no water source nearby." Kakashi voiced his second question.

"You could say that I am gifted when it comes to water jutsus. My suiton chakra affinity has advanced to the point that I do not need a water source to do jutsus. I flare my chakra, and the molecules of hydrogen and oxygen start combining to form water. You must have noticed the increase in the surrounding temperature?"

Kakashi nodded in affirmation.

"It was a result of the reaction between the two elements. Since I can make water from the molecules of the two elements suspended in air, I have no problem using the water jutsus anytime." He finished his explanation.

"Just like Nidaime-sama!" Sarutobi exclaimed.

"Is that so?" Naruto asked with a hint of surprise on his face.

"Yeah, he too did not need water source to perform the jutsus." Sarutobi said.

"Anyway, I am a bit tired. Do you mind if I hit home? I have to prepare for tomorrow's mock test at the academy." Naruto asked his grandfather standing up from his seat.

"Yeah, go and rest." Sarutobi said.

"Let's go Yugao-chan. Goodbye Kakashi-sensei, old man." He said walking out of the office with Yugao by his side.

"Minato-sensei would be so proud of him." Kakashi said to his Hokage once Naruto had left.

"Yes, he would be, and Kushina too." Sarutobi nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto.

 _ **Ninja Academy, Konohagakure**_

"So, who is going to walk me through the basics of substitution jutsu?" Iruka asked as he turned around to face the class, who was just a week away from their graduation test.

Everyone was busy scribbling on their notes, trying to capture any last moment hints that would help them with the written test for their graduation. Their faces were visibly tensed. In seven days of time, everything they have learnt so far for the past four years is going to be put to test. How they do in the final exams will tell whether they are prepared to go out and face the world that awaits them beyond the walls of the classroom they were seated in.

Each one of them is excited about the thought of being a shinobi. They all drool over the idea of various ninjutsus that they will learn once they walk out of the academy. However, little do they know that the world that awaits them outside the embrace of their parents is not as pleasant as they imagine it to be. Sure it is adventurous out there, but adventure is not the only aspect of a shinobi's life. Depending on the situations they have to take decisions that will remain with them for the rest of their lives, haunting them, feeding on them, consuming the very essence of life out of them till the day they breathe their last breath.

That's what it means to be a shinobi!

They have to kill for their village when ordered. If their leader decides that the existence of a neighboring village has become a thorn in their sight, then the shinobis have to fight for the interest of their village, taking lives in the process, making many women widows, taking the hands of parents off their child's head.

The world that awaits them is as ugly as it can be, farthest from the imagination of these younglings. Maybe that is why Iruka too seems tensed at the prospect of these innocent children, who he had taught for the past four years, will soon have to come in touch with the ugliness that is spread outside the walls of their classroom. He knows that once the graduates have been decided he will have to tell them about it, and the very idea of describing the reality to his students makes the hair on the back of his neck stand.

But alas, he will have to tell them. It's the responsibility he took upon his shoulders the day he decided to teach the future shinobis, and no matter how much he dreads it, he will fulfill it. After all it's his nindo, his ninja way.

Anyway, there is still seven days of illusion left in the lives of these soon to be shinobis. So, how about we let them enjoy the final days of their pleasant picture of the adventurous world awaiting them, and come back to the question that Iruka asked his students?

As usual, the first one to raise their hand was Sakura. She was always the one who was confident enough in the theories to answer the questions that their sensei threw at them. Results of the mock tests they have been through is the proof of the fact.

Being from a civilian family, she does not have as large a chakra pool as Sasuke to keep on throwing jutsus after jutsus at their opponent, and neither does she have the muscular strength of Kiba to scare her enemy away with her kicks and punches. So, the only thing she is left with is her brain, which she tries to train in all the way possible. She imagines herself in a situation that demands thinking on her feet, and she comes with a solution for the predicament she throws herself into in her mind palace. After years of working her brain, she has developed her neurons to the extent that her memory is almost as photographic as it can be without actually possessing the characteristic.

So, obviously it was no surprise for Iruka to see her raise her hand, but he was not going to let Sakura help those who do not know the basics escape by answering the question. So, he gave her an appreciating smile, and moved on to considering other students. Taking the hint, Sakura lets her arm fall down to its initial position, and followed the eye line of her sensei.

When she noticed who it was, the increasing number of tick marks on her sensei's forehead suddenly started making sense to her. At the receiving end of Iruka's stern glare was Naruto, who was lost in the lands of dream, and a bubble was resting on the tip of his nose. The volume of the bubble kept on increasing and decreasing as he took in each breath and blew it out. His eyes were shut, and his cheek, hidden behind the black cloth covering more than half of his face, was resting in the palm of his hand, whose elbow was dug in his desk.

As seconds went by the intensity in Iruka's glare kept on increasing, and Sakura knew that it would not be long from now when they will be witnessing their sensei's infamous big-head jutsu that he uses to yell at them.

True to her fears the dreaded moment finally came, when Iruka lost his temper and his head suddenly got five times bigger.

"WAKE THE HELL UP, NARUTO!" He screamed, and Sakura was pretty sure that the entire of Konoha must have heard his screech.

But what surprised Sakura, and the rest of them, the most was Naruto's utter motionlessness. He did not even flitch. No body movement whatsoever that would suggest that he has registered Iruka's yelling.

This infuriated Iruka further, and without any further ado he sunshined beside Naruto's seat and bonked him over his head.

The effect was instantaneous. His head slipped off its resting position and struck against his desk in a comical manner. The entire class burst out in fits of laughter at the display of the comedy in front of them.

Naruto woke up groggily, rubbing his head to subside the pain.

"What did you do that for sensei?" He asked as he looked up at Iruka.

But he got nothing in reply. Actually, it's not like Iruka was not saying anything, Naruto just could not hear the words leaving his mouth. Wondering what sort of game his teacher was playing with him, he voiced his dilemma.

"Um… Sensei, why are you just moving your mouth? Is it some kind of roleplaying, where you play the role of my comrade, who wants to convey some message to me without being heard, and I decipher your message?" He asked with a big comical question mark over his head.

Iruka was already pissed, and the words of the smarty pants in front of him was not helping to subside the irritation he was feeling towards him right now.

"I am almost yelling here. How could you not hear such a loud voice?" He demanded in a pissed tone. If the blond was pulling some kind of prank on him then he would better stop or else it was not going to end well.

But unfortunately, Naruto once again failed to register his words.

"WHAT? Did you say something again? Hey, did you listen what he said? I am pretty sure he is saying – Naruto, you are looking beautiful today. – Am I listening correct?" He asked Sasuke with a confused look in his eyes.

Now, this was it. Sasuke has been trying hard to withhold the laughter bubbling inside his stomach. He wanted to let go and burst out into a laughing fit just like the rest of them, but he had a reputation to keep. He had to be cold towards everyone, and he had to be uninterested in everything going around him. But this blond was just something else. Every time he would have a new mischief up his sleeves, and every time Iruka will be the target of his devil mind. He would just not leave him alone, and with each new prank he pulled on him, he keeps on getting better.

This was by far the best one.

' _Naruto, you are looking beautiful today.' How did you even come up with that, you idiot?_

Sasuke started giggling, and soon his giggles turned into snickering. It did not take his snickers long to turn into a full blown laughter. He tried to suppress it; he tried to not give in to the temptation, but he could not resist any longer. The blonde's acting was so comical and his words, oh his words, how was he supposed to not laugh at that. So, he gave up, and did the only thing that he wanted to do at the moment. He laughed, laughed like there was no tomorrow.

"Y-you idiot…. ( _ha ha ha)_ You…. ( _ha ha ha_ ) How b-bad do you have to mess to change his words into something so horrible?" He asked in midst of his laughter.

"WHAT?" Naruto leaned in closer to listen Sasuke's words clearly. "Was I right? Does Iruka-sensei seriously think that I am beautiful?"

"N-No, you idiot! ( _ha ha ha_ ) God, I cannot believe you! ( _ha ha ha_ )" He once again went into a laughing fit.

Now, Sasuke was rolling and the rest of them were staring at him with a bewildered expression on their faces.

Sasuke was laughing!

The Sasuke was laughing!

Sasuke Uchiha, who has not once talked to anyone of them, not once shared lunch with any student, who has never once addressed the girls practically drooling over him, was laughing. Not one of them had thought in the wildest of their dreams that they would behold such a sight. This was the best surprise of their lives so far. The stoic Uchiha had finally shown some signs of humanity in him. He is not a robot after all. He too can feel something. As soon as the realization dawned on them one by one they started joining him. Even Shikamaru was wide awake by now. Though he still found it troublesome to react to the blonde's joke.

"Okay Naruto, I think you have taken this pretty far. How about you drop the façade and just accept the punishment from me?" Iruka asked while trying to calm himself down.

"Hey!" Naruto crossed his arms in front of him defensively. "What do you mean by – Come with me? I am not going anywhere with you, you pervert!" He exclaimed while taking a couple of steps backward.

"NARUTO!" Iruka took a step forward. He crackled his knuckles and gestured Sasuke to get out of his way. "COME HERE, YOU SMART ASS!"

"Wait, Iruka-sensei! I am sorry for falling asleep in the class, but you cannot put your hands in funny places of my body. It's a crime. Jiji will not forgive you." He tried to reason with Iruka while backing away all the time.

Iruka's face was red. Whether with anger or with embarrassment, no one could tell. But at this point none of them carried. They just wanted to take in as much of the scene playing in front of him as possible.

"I am going to kill you." Iruka hissed as he launched himself at him.

"Oh shit!" Naruto cursed as he saw Iruka coming at him, but then all of a sudden a thought crossed his mind, and he put his arms in front of him with his palms out stretched. "Wait a sec, sensei. I think I know why I could not hear you clearly."

Iruka stopped reluctantly, and he waited for Naruto's reason as he tapped his right foot impatiently on the tiled floor beneath him.

Naruto dug a pair of fingers into his ears, and pulled out what was blocking the sound waves from entering his ears.

"This is the culprit sensei." He said showing the ear plugs to him. "I wonder who put it there."

"It's your ears, you idiot. Who besides you will put something like that there?" He said while digging his knuckle into his head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…" Naruto groaned. "Please stop, sensei, you are going to dig a hole in there." He begged.

"I would not worry even if I did, cuz I am pretty sure that nothing resides in there." Iruka said.

"Absolutely right, sensei!" Kiba chirped and the entire class once again started laughing.

"SHUT UP EVERYONE!" Iruka yelled, and once he was sure that he had everyone's attention, he began, "Naruto, you are going to explain how substitution works, and the rest of you are going to point out any mistakes he makes." He commanded.

Soon, order was restored in the class, and everyone returned to their previous states.

 _ **After the Academy Hours, Outside the Academy Building…**_

Naruto walked out of the building with a pale face. Iruka has just given him an earful, and god his lecture was so boring. Besides, the occasional yelling and screeching did not help the fact that his face was missing some of the colors that used to be there. He was pretty sure that if he had to remain inside the building with him for even a single more minute, he would rather run around Konoha on his hands, like some ninja with horrible amount of green on his body and his little clone, than ever pulling a prank on Iruka.

He was met with a beaming Sakura, who has been waiting for him outside the academy building ever since the last bell for the day rung.

"Told you I will make the duck-head laugh." He said while holding a victory sign. "Now, you have to go to Ichirakus for lunch with me."

"Well, that was really hilarious, and as was our deal I will go and taste ramen with you. But just so you know that even if I do eat ramen I am not going to change my opinion about the food." She said with a dead-serious expression on her face.

"Just wait until you have tasted the Food of Heaven. You will come running to me to take you there every single day." He said with a smirk that was well hidden beneath his mask.

"Upon my dead body!" She exclaimed with determination.

"Wanna bet again?" He asked raising his hand for a shake to sign the deal.

"Bring it on!" She took his hand, and gripping it firmly, she shook it violently as if trying to convey that it was impossible that she would lose this time.

"Good, now on to the terms of the deal." He said bringing his right index finger to his chin. "I think this time I will ask you to go and invite the duck-head to our party. How about it?"

"Wha… He will never come. You know that, that's why you have made such an implausible term." She said in a sad tone.

"So, are you giving up even before the bet has begun? Where did the Sakura go, whom I knew to be one to never back down from a challenge?" He said mockingly.

She glared at him dangerously for a couple of seconds making him to gulp in fear. Then her eyes took on the look of determination, and Naruto could swear that he could see something burning in the iris of her eyes.

"The bet is on. But if I win, I want you to go without the mask for a week." She declared.

Naruto tilted his head, and his eyebrows furrowed while he considered the outrageous condition Sakura had put forth. After a while of pondering he decided to break the silence floating around them.

"Very well." He said turning his face away from Sakura.

Naruto's gesture of avoiding eye contact while he agreed to her condition had Sakura worried, but before she could say anything there was a puff of smoke beside them and a small toad appeared out of nowhere.

"Yo, Naruto!"

It addressed her blonde friend, and she could not help but gape at the sight of a talking toad.

"Yo, Gamakichi! Meet my girlfriend Sakura."

Before it could give any kind of reaction to the declaration, Sakura hit Naruto on his head with a tightly clenched fist.

"Since when did I become your girlfriend, you idiot?" She growled.

"Ouch Sakura!" He exclaimed in pain. "There is a limit to how much my head can take yours and Iruka-sensei's beating before my brain cells start dying."

"Well, then stop being an idiot." She dead-panned.

"Give me some time to think about it." He said with an expression of consideration on his face, and before Sakura could retort any further he turned to Gamakichi, "So, what brings you here?"

"Jiraiya-sama has sent you this." He said opening his mouth, and out came his long, sticky tongue to which a scroll was stuck.

Naruto took the scroll, and running the tip of his thumb over the seal on it, he waited for the jutsu to do its work. Soon, the seal letters on the scroll vanished completely, and he unrolled the scroll to run his eyes through the content.

Sakura could see the seriousness that were soaking his eyes while he was reading the letter. She could not comprehend how fast the change came. A minute before he was fooling around and acting like a clown. Some weird little creature appears with a scroll in its mouth and everything about him changes. What exactly was written in the scroll?

"Thanks, Gamakichi. You can leave." He said in a tone that almost sent chills down Sakura's spine. What was going on?

"I have to go, Sakura." He said turning away from her when the toad disappeared in a puff smoke.

"Wait!" She interrupted and grabbed his arm. "Where are you going? What was in that letter that has had you worked up so much?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Let me go, Sakura." He said trying to get out of her grip, but she really had him in her clutches.

"No, I am coming with you." She declared tightening her grip.

"I do not have time for this. Besides, jiji is better suited for this kind of stuff." He said and sunshined to the Hokage Building along with Sakura.

 _ **Hokage Building….**_

Sarutobi was enjoying his little break from the ever replicating paper works when he felt a spike of chakra in his office. He turned his gaze to register the image of his visitor.

"Oh Naruto-kun! What brings you here? Even Sakura-chan has come?" He asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Here read this." He said in a business-like tone, and soon Sarutobi administered all his attention to his surrogate grandchild.

He flashed his eye through the scroll, and lifted his head to face Naruto with a stoic expression defining his facial features.

"Is he absolutely sure about it?" He asked.

"He must be that is why he had sent the message. He must have told you about the group. They were not supposed to make any movements for a while, but if they have decided to act so soon something must have changed. I will have to go, jiji."

"But right now Kakashi and Yugao are not in the village, even Asuma is away on an errand for the fire Daimyou. You know that I cannot send you alone. No one else comes to my mind for a mission like this."

"I can handle this and you know that. I will be leaving in an hour regardless of what you think, old man. I just came to tell you that, and…."

Naruto was interrupted by Sakura.

"What do you mean you will be leaving? Where do you have to go, and what's going on?" She asked him frantically.

"She is the other reason why I came. I have to hurry so I leave the explanation to you." He said turning around.

Now, Sakura was pissed and worried. Pissed because she was being kept out of this, and worried because she did not want him to leave her behind again. It was already a nerve-wrecking experience when he walked away once, she was not going to let him do that again.

"Wait, Naruto! Where are you going?" She turned and tried to grab his shoulder, but before her hand could reach him, he was gone, again. She failed to get to his side once again. Again she was left behind. All the memories of losing her friend once came rolling back to her, and she slumped on the floor.

"Naruto." She whispered as her eyes turned watery.

 _ **In the forest of Takigakure….**_

Two figures cladded in black robe, with designs of red cloud spread all over it, could be seen walking. They were quietly treading the green path beneath them. Their trained eyes were scanning the forest ahead of them, trying to find the existence of their target.

A girl in her early teenage years, not more than fourteen years old, was the one who they were after. She had something or rather someone sealed inside her, and the entire shinobi world called her, and the others like her, as jinchuriki, a human sacrifice.

Did she choose to be one of the sacrifices?

No, none of them did. It was just a matter of urgency, a will to protect their village, a desire to create a human weapon for the safety of their village that led to her being selected as a sacrifice. Even then why was it her? She had asked herself this question unimaginable number of times, but never did she reach the answer. It was just what it was. Maybe she won a lottery, and became the chosen one. No one cared, and at this point of her life, she did not care herself. All she was worried about every day she woke up was to go through the day without being beaten and find something to feed her starving stomach.

The leader of her village loved her like his own, but his underlings never let her see him. Only when he came out of his office to see her was when she could meet him, but she never complained. How could she? He was the only one in the entire village who cared enough to give a damn about her. If she got selfish and demanded more of his attention, she was afraid that she might lose the only person, who loves her. So, she learnt to be content, and that brings her here, in the forest of Takigakure.

This is where she lived. It was far more comfortable residing in the trees than living in the village. Here no one came after her life when she was sleeping. No one threw stones at her every time she walked on the streets. The food that the forest provided was never poisoned.

But unfortunately, someone has decided to come after her life here too.

"Who is there?" She asked throwing a stone in the direction she perceived movement.

A boy with sun-kissed blond hair, and with a black cloth covering half of his face came out from behind a tree. He was definitely not a day older than her. In fact, if she had to guess she would definitely pick the option that labelled him younger than her, but then again the shinobi world was weird that way. On this planet demons walked, shinigami, the death God, himself was summoned, stories of Goddess visiting some small village in the far-east were told; if he were to tell her that he was far older than her, she would believe him in a heartbeat.

"What do you want?" She demanded once she had eyed him from head to toe.

"Well, let's see. I want to eat ramen all day long without Sakura-chan yelling at me that I should not eat such oily food. I want to unravel the mystery behind Iruka-sensei's occasional swollen head. I want to know how a certain pair of green shinobis do the genjutsu of a sun setting in their background while they hug each other intimately, which, by the way, no man should ever do. I want to know why a certain Snake-Sannin accused to be a pedophile. I want to understand what my sensei writes in his obscene books. I want to…"

"Okay, hold on." She interrupted with a raised hand. "Let me rephrase my question. What do you want with me?"

"Right now, I want you to run." He said and disappeared in a flash after throwing a weird looking kunai in her direction.

When the kunai was about to sail past her, he appeared in front of her and caught the kunai in his right hand. Then he turned to his left to face a pair of suspicious shinobis, who had managed to get close to them without her noticing them.

"Fu, I need you to run as fast as you can in the direction of the village."

"Why would I do that? And how do you know my name?" She was surprised would be an understatement.

"Let's play this Q&A round later. I will answer all your questions once I have dealt with them." He said addressing the pair in front of them.

"Ho! So, you think you can deal with us, and that too alone?" The one with a three bladed scythe in his hand asked as he got ready to attack.

"Run, Fu! Now." He said as he got in his own stance.

Fu was scared. If she were to take any hint from the KI that the two were unleashing, running was the best option. And that's exactly what she did. She ran like her life depended on it, which ironically did.

"Now, shall we get started?" The blonde asked as he threw the kunai at the man.

"Yes, let's do this. Jaishin-sama wants sacrifice. He asks for your blood." The man with the three bladed scythe declared as he ran at him.

"Hidan, be careful." The other one of them warned. He decided to sit this one out. After all their target was the nanabi jinchuriki, and he could easily capture her once Hidan has dealt with the boy in front of them. Yet he could not shake this ominous feeling off. It felt like something was terribly wrong in this equation. One wrong step and they might never return to their hide out ever.

"Do not worry, Kakuzu. I will be done with him soon, and then we will complete our mission." Hidan declared as he sped.

Before Hidan could reach the blond or the kunai the blond threw reach him, he disappeared in a flash. Kakuzu's eyes widened at what he had witnessed.

' _But how? He must be dead!'_ Kakuzu thought as the doubts he had been feeling seemed to be turning into reality ever so slowly.

The blond appeared in front of Hidan, who was just a feet away from the kunai, and slammed his fist in his gut. Hidan bent upon in pain, and the kunai flew past him to lodge into a tree behind him. He followed his punch with a kick to his temple. Upon impact Hidan slid to his side a few feet before coming to a stop.

Naruto flashed to the location of the kunai.

"You are good kid, especially with your feet." Hidan said with a smirk as he straightened his bent form and glared at the blond.

"Hidan, watch out for the kunai." Kakuzu warned. "He can teleport to wherever his kunai is."

But before Hidan could register Kakuzu's words, Naruto was in front of him once again with a blue orb of chakra in his right hand.

Naruto slammed the spinning ball of chakra into Hidan's stomach.

' _How did he teleport to Hidan? He did not even throw his kunai?'_ Kakuzu's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Argh!" Hidan groaned as he was sent flying back, and the skin over his abdomen sported a burn.

"What the hell was that?" He asked as he got up.

"That was Rasengan. But how can you stand up with the pain that must be racking your body?" Naruto asked with a curious look in his eyes.

"( _HA HA HA_ ) Pain? This is what you call pain? Pain is when you struggle to move even a single tendon in your body. You will feel pain when I will rip your limbs apart." Hidan growled.

"If that does not work, then how about this?"

Naruto held his right hand outward, and on his outstretched palm chakra once again started swirling. Once the orb of Rasengan was form, he held his other hand over it, and soon the diameter of the orb increased. Only this time, water could be seen swirling inside the ball and around at speed no human eye could perceive. Once the orb stabilized, Naruto turned his eyes to Hidan, and activated the seal of Hiraishin he had left on him when he punched him and flashed to him.

He pressed the orb against his chest, and jumped back a couple of meters.

The spinning ball of water started expanding, and in no time encased Hidan entirely. Water waves at supersonic speed slashed at Hidan's body, slicing it at several places. The arm that was holding the staff was cut off by a wave as thin and sharp as a well-polished blade. Next victim of the merciless speeding wave of water inside the spherical prison he was trapped in was his right leg. It was completely sliced off its location. When the power of the jutsu subsided and the sphere died down, Hidan's body was covered with cuts as deep as a foot at countless number of places, and he lied on the ground crippled, without his left hand and right leg.

"Can you feel pain now? Or is it still not enough?" Naruto asked tilting his head to his left.

"YOU SCUM! I WILL KILL YOU. SUCK EVERY OUNCE OF BLOOD FROM YOUR BODY! I WILL FUCKING CRUSH YOU!" He roared.

"Not very promising given the condition you are in now." He said as he turned to face Kakuzu.

"YOU DAMNED BOY! JUST YOU WAIT, I WILL WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE!"

"I warned you Hidan. Now, keep quiet and stay put." Kakuzu commanded as he walked to the front. "Tell me, how did you teleport to Hidan without even using your kunai?" He asked Naruto.

"Well, you see, I did something." He replied non-chantingly.

"That's what I am asking. What did you do?" Kakuzu asked in an irate tone.

"That's what I told you. I did something." He replied.

"Damn it, what is that something that you did?" A vein popped on Kakuzu's temple.

"Well, that something is a secret for me to gloat over and for you to rack your brain around isn't it?" He said throwing a tri-pronged kunai at him.

"The same trick is not going to work always, kid." Kakuzu's voice was as pissed as it could get.

"Stop assuming things, you old fossil!" Naruto exclaimed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Realization dawned upon Kakuzu late, and he was hit by a giant sphere of spiraling blue chakra in his back.

"Odama Rasengan!"

The spiraling ball started encroaching Kakuzu's back as it fed on his skin. By the time it died down a hole was blown where his heart was supposed to be.

Naruto jumped back a couple of meters to analyze the weird situation in front of him.

Why was his opponent still alive, if he was sure that he had blown his heart?

"Don't tell me you are immortal or something?" Naruto asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well, that is something for me to gloat over and for you to rack your brain around, isn't it?"

"Good one!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's a pity that we are fighting otherwise I would have laughed." He disappeared once again.

Before Kakuzu could do anything, Naruto was upon him once again, this time with a katana in his hand. He slashed at him in several places, and once done with his attack he backed a couple of steps.

' _My eyes could not even follow his hands? Who is he? More importantly, what is he? His speed isn't human!'_

The result of Naruto's attack was Kakuzu's severed arms and his completely cleaved right leg.

"Well, I guess it is time for me to take leave, before you two go get healed on me completely, and start attacking me." He turned around. "Till we meet next time." He disappeared with those words.

"He is going to be a problem for our plans. We will have to inform our leader." Kakuzu said more to himself as black strings originated from under his cloak and started sewing his severed limbs back to its position.

"Next time I see him, I will cripple him before I offer his blood to Jaishin-sama." Hidan hissed as Kakuzu's black string hovered over him before it began reattaching his limbs.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Naruto.

 _ **Ninja Academy, Konohagakure…**_

Sasuke sat in his seat by the window at the back of the class. He had an unusual grin on his face. His mind was busy contemplating the various training schedules he would go through once he gets admitted into a team. It was time to think of the steps he would take to make sure he achieved the goal of his life.

Ever since that ominous night he had not, for a single second, forgotten about the unspeakable crime his beloved brother committed. His blood boils every time he thinks of the incident, and he curses himself for his inability to do anything. However, his brother was at an unreachable place at that time, and even if he would have struggled against him nothing would have changed. He would still be the orphan he is, alone in the world.

Nothing vexed him more than that realization.

But it was going to change today.

Today was the day of graduation. Upon completing the insignificant test that was going to be held today, he would be a step closer to his revenge. He was going to reach there no matter what. He would sacrifice anything and everything, he would destroy every hurdle in his path to get to his brother. He would find him, fight him, hurt him and punish him for the sin he had committed. Only then will his soul be liberated; only then he will be able to sleep peacefully; and only then he will visit the grave of his parents.

Since his parents died, he has not once stood in front of their grave. He did not how to face them when their murderer was still out there breathing while they lied six feet under the ground.

When he woke up after being in comma for a week, he vowed that he would avenge their death. He would extract his revenge upon Itachi. All his love for him died that night along with his parents, and now there was no one in this world he hated more than his brother. He would kill him in the most painful way possible. He would convey to him through his kicks and punches the pain he had felt when he took away his family for him, all those nights when he had to cry himself to sleep, the feeling of loneliness seeping into him every time he saw children of his age smothered by their mother and doted upon by their father. He yearned for the warmth of his mother's hug and for the hand of his father on his head, but no matter how much he craved he would not be able to smile with his parents again. They were gone, and other than accepting the reality he had no other choice.

He was alone, and he was supposed to be alone.

He _knew_ it all too well, and yet why could he not make Sakura understand that? Why did she try so desperately to breach the barrier around him? Why does she have to smile at him as if she understood the pain he was going through? No one could possibly comprehend the depth of his pain except himself. Then why does he feel so relaxed every time she talked to him?

And as if it was not enough the blond too had to go and join forces with her. He got under his skin so fast that he could not even react to the attachment he started feeling with the blond all of a sudden. At least it took him years to feel towards Sakura that way, and after berating himself so much for letting his guards down around Sakura, how could he let himself conceive yet another bond? He was supposed to cut all human ties in order to attain power. He was supposed to become a lone wolf just like his brother to get as strong as him. He knew the deal very well, and yet here he was worrying about Naruto's absence for the past week.

He tried to shake off his thoughts about Naruto, but he just couldn't get himself to stop thinking about him. He tried to think of things like the path of avenger that lied ahead of him, but, unfortunately, it did not work as he planned. Every time he drew his attention towards something else, his mind would secretly conceive a string that attached him to the thoughts of the blond, and he would find himself thinking about him once again. Irritated by his countless failures to distract himself, he finally decided to entertain his growing curiosity about the blond.

"Hey Sakura?" He tried to get the attention of the pink-headed girl seated next to him.

"Hmm?" She asked lifting her head a little.

She was busy reading the notes she had prepared during the revision sessions.

"Do you know where the idiot is?" He asked in an uneven tone that gave away nothing about the emotions running wild inside him.

"Um… He is…" She began only to lose her ability to speak.

She wanted very badly to complain about his disappearance. She was right beside him, and yet she could not get him to stay. He left her without telling about his destination once again. She wanted to scream out loud, and declare to the world what a mess she was under the calm demeanor that she showed to others.

One of the two boys she cared so deeply about was not by her side right now. The thought alone made her curse herself for her inability to stop him. She was angry with herself and with the blond so much that she could not even rejoice the fact that Sasuke was trying to talk to her on his own will.

"Sakura, do you know something?" He asked her again.

Not trusting her tongue to let only the necessary words out, she just nodded.

"Where is he?" His voice had a sense of relief in it. At least someone knew where he had disappeared off to.

After taking care of the two Akatsuki members in Takigakure and leaving Kin at a place, where she could stay hidden from the prying eyes of the jinchuriki-hunters, Naruto was on his way back to Konohagakure so that he could take the graduation exam, which was about to start in…

He glanced at the position of Sun in the sky to estimate the time left before the test would be presented to the aspiring shinobis waiting anxiously in the Ninja Academy of the Hidden Village in Leaf. As a result, the realization that he had just an hour left to reach the examination hall came crashing down on him.

His unplanned trip to the grass village had taken more time than he had expected. He was supposed to have returned a day before the graduation, which was yesterday, but due to some unforeseen events on his way here, his arrival was delayed by quite a few hours, and now he was running terribly late.

 _Sakura is going to kill me if I miss the test. She is definitely going to cut me into pieces._

Just the thought of a furious Sakura raining hell down upon him was enough of a motivational factor for him to push his feet beyond their limit, and had it not been for the companion that came as a byproduct of his sidetracking from his path, when he was on his way home yesterday, he could have flashed into Konoha.

But alas the lady luck was not standing in his favor.

The injured person he was carrying in his arms was not in the perfect condition to go through the stress of teleportation. The effect that Hiraishin would have on her body would be too much for her to handle, and even if she somehow managed to bear with it, Naruto was not sure if the life prospering in her womb would voluntarily sign up for such a nauseating experience. So, against his abundant desire to just flash to his village, he decided to take the traditional way out of the situation, which would be jumping from trees to trees while doing his best to keep the woman in her arms from waking from her slumber.

"Hmm… Where are we?" The woman asked as she parted her eyelids as slowly as possible in order to keep the daylight from dazzling her sight.

Despite all his efforts he seems to have failed.

He sighed at his defeat before answering her question.

"An hour or so away from the village."

"You sure are quite fast on your feet. We were on the borders of The Fire Country when sleep took my awareness away. To have covered such a large distance within the span of a couple of hours, you definitely exceeded all the expectations I had of you." She commended his speed, before asking him, "Who are you?"

It's not like that she did not know his name. No, she knew it, for he has already told her that, but other than that she knew nothing about him.

The situation in which they met did not exactly have any room for getting acquainted with each other.

 _A few hours earlier…_

She was surrounded by some twenty bandits, who clearly were expert with the weapons they held in their hands. Dismembered bodies, skulls cracked open and hearts ripped out of their chest of those who went against the group clearly indicated the fact that they were not to be taken lightly, and if one were to go by the insanity painted on the battlefield by these hooligans she was definitely going to suffer the worst fate possible as a woman if she were to be caught in their claws. So, she could not, at any cost, make a move that in any way comes under the category 'reckless'.

She was waiting for them to make any move. Her comrades had already been sent to the other world by these crazy beings, who even after straying farthest from the path of humanity ages ago still insisted on calling themselves human. Reacting at the precise instant was of extreme importance if she wanted to create any room for her escape so that she could return to her home and into the arms of her loved ones. So, she waited patiently while calculating every scenario possible if any one of those twenty bandits decided to come at her, analyzing every angle from where she stood and sorting all the techniques she could use to deal with them.

An immense tension floated in the air, and the inevitable moment finally came when the one standing right in front of her decided to come at her.

He raised his katana as he covered the distance between them in a flash of second, and brought it down on her in order to cut her into half. The blade seemed to connect with its target only for the woman's form to disappear the next instant. In her place, stood a tree into which the blade got lodged.

The man hastily turned around to try and make sense of the event that had transpired in front of him. He knew that the woman was a kunoichi. The hitai-te on her forehead was a dead give-away of the fact.

It wasn't the first time he was fighting a ninja, but usually whenever he encountered one of them they did not just turn into tree out of nowhere. Most of them would come at him with bone shattering strength and an incredible speed, so in return he would counter with even greater strength and a lightning fast katana slash. But, clearly, so was not the case with this kunoichi. He could not perceive her presence no matter how hard he strained his senses, and by the looks of it, his partners in crime were facing the same difficulty.

He was hastily turning his head from one direction to another in order to make out the hideout of the woman, who seems to have eloped his senses, and in the process he turned his back to the tree that appeared out of nowhere, oblivious of the fact that the enemy he was searching so desperately was right beside him. She was just hidden from his eyes.

When the perfect opportunity presented, she dug her hand into the pouch strapped to her right thigh, and bringing out a kunai, she leaned towards the man. To the watching eyes, her form appeared to be coming out from the trunk of the tree as if she were a ghost with the ability of passing through solid objects. She quietly slipped her right arm, in which she held the sharpened killing tool, around his neck, and swiftly slit his throat. Blood sprayed from his open jugular artery as he slumped to the ground dead.

Inability to detect the genjutsu the woman placed them under became his demise.

Enraged roars filled the area as the remaining bandits saw their comrade die right in front of their eyes, and three of them charged at her. With a graceful movement, which only comes after training your body for years, she dodged the first slash of a diabolic sword swung at her. Then she bent a little, and as the blade of another one of them passed over her head she dug the kunai, still wet with the blood of its previous victim, into his abdomen, and jumped a couple of steps backward. Unfortunately, one of them was already beside her when she landed, and the instant her feet touched the ground head of a spear came at her at an unperceivable speed. She turned sideways to dodge the ominous-looking weapon inching towards her, but her reaction was not fast enough to make her come out of the ordeal completely unscathed. The sharp edge of the spear-head grazed her right shoulder blade when she was in the process of evading, and was successful in drawing its first blood tonight. She pressed the wound with her left palm, and took a step backward to ease her unbalanced form.

Wanting to capitalize on the advantage presented to them by one of their kin, a couple of them pounced on her from behind. The almost inaudible, but sharp, noise of blade slicing the stagnant air around them into two parts entered her ears, and acting on instinct she pumped chakra to her feet and jumped to an open area a couple of meters away to evade the incoming attack. Once there, she enacted her next jutsu born out of the illusion she implanted in the eyes of her enemy, and she disappeared once again.

"Its genjutsu!" One of them shouted. "Keep your senses keen. She must be near."

And true to his words rustling sound of feet was heard by all of them, and soon her figure formed out of thin air as she ran at them with a kunai in each of her hands. But they were prepared for her attack this time. The two nearest to her swung their katana at her and cleaved her arms off cleanly, but instead of the familiar wet sensation on their blade they felt them cut something soft. When they turned their heads in the direction of the woman, who they had just decapitated, all they found were red rose petals scattered around them, and the next instant they were falling to the ground with a kunai lodged in their neck.

 _Four of them taken care of._

They realized that what got their first comrade was a genjutsu, but they failed to detect the double layered genjutsu she had placed on them when she disappeared for the second time. First one concealed her from them by disrupting their senses totally, then the second layer was the illusion she created of herself. While they were busy taking care of her copy she walked up to the two katana-wielders, who attacked the illusion, and dug a knife into their necks.

"This bitch!" Roared another one of them, and taking it upon himself to take care of the eyesore, he charged at her.

She turned on her heels to face the incoming assailant, and taking a kunai out of her pouch parried it away. This put a tremendous amount of pressure on the wound, as she was holding the kunai in her right arm. As a result, when he brought the blade down on her the second time, she lost grip on the kunai while trying to tackle the attack away, and lost her balance. It was when her knees touched the ground, she realized something very crucial.

The understanding that she was never going to win the battle dawned upon her. The moment that spear grazed her, she was destined to lose, and with that realization came the fear of dying.

She was a veteran, and whenever she left her home she always kept the possibility that she might never return open for consideration in her mind, but now that she was actually staring death in its face, the fact that she was not ready to die yet became crystal clear to her. All the mental preparations she made herself go through when she decided to take on the title of a jounin disappeared, and her courage appeared to be as small as a pebble in front of the mountainous truth, which was her unwillingness to die at the hands of these crazy bastards.

"Finally, the poison seems to have taken effect." The spear-wielder said in a condescending tone.

That's right. Her demise was a damn poison into which the head of the spear was dipped when it was being prepared for battle.

"Man, she gave us a lot of trouble. How about we enjoy her first before killing her?" One of them suggested.

A cheer was the answer he got. So, with a hungry look on his face, he plodded towards the woman kneeling in front of them.

She lifted her head to look at the disgusting face of the man advancing towards her. The insanity in his eyes was ten times more than before, and it clearly screamed the fact that whatever was going in his head was not something she could bear through.

She was afraid.

 _Please, spare me._ She wanted to beg that out loud, but it seems that her pride had decided to intervene at the worst possible time.

 _Asuma…._

Name of the one she loved from the bottom of her heart was the first thing that came to her mind when she decided to work on building up the courage required to accept her inevitable fate. She wanted to see his face one last time.

 _Anko-chan… I hope she restrains on her crazy behavior._

 _Hinata… I wanted to see her grow into a wonderful kunoichi._

 _I want to see the sunrise from the top of Hokage monument once again…. No…. I don't want to die…. Please, somebody…. Please save me!_ Tears trickled down her eyelids as she lowered her head to conceal her pathetic face. She was not going to give them the satisfaction of watching her break down.

In the end, she was not ready to die.

"She is so delicious." He licked his lips as he bent down to grab a hold of her body. "We are going to do a lot of good things together, kunoichi-san." He was about to push her down, when an unfamiliar voice interrupted him.

"Not so fast, hentai-san ( _Mr. Pervert)_."

He let go of her arm to face the uninvited guest to their party, but before he could turn around, his head was flying through air, and blood was spurting out of his beheaded body, which was slowly slumping to the ground. 

"Wha….?" Came out of the genjutsu user's throat, instinctively, when she was suddenly hauled from her kneeling position into the arms of her savior, who was now, along with her, soaring high in the sky.

He jumped to the topmost branch of the nearest tree, and carefully set her down, her back inclined against the trunk of the tree.

"Please wait here while I take care of the unnecessary population down there."

"Watch out. They have poison coated on their weapons." She warned him.

"That is pretty much obvious judging by your immense perspiration and labored breathing even though your injuries are nothing but a grazed shoulder." He said with a smile well hidden behind the cloth mask covering half of his face. "Anyway, you rest here. I will be back in a minute, and thank you for the warning." With those words he was gone.

Screams and painful groans coming from below alerted her of the battle that was being fought on the ground she was on a couple of minutes ago. Due to her dubbed senses, because of the poison spreading in her system, she could not make out the distinct sounds of gurgle, choking, bones being churned under a tremendous pressure, blood spurting out with a gust, and inside organs being spilled out of slit-opened stomachs.

It was a massacre down there.

A crazed look, scaring the souls of the thugs trying to run for their lives, was displayed on Naruto's face. He was angry. No, he was beyond angry. He was outraged. How dare they treat a woman with such indignity? How dare they even lay their eyes on her tender body?

He will kill them all. He will silt-open their throat. He will pluck their tongues out. He will destroy the manliness they are so proud of. He will gouge out their eyes. He will cripple them, and then he would slowly and painfully drain the life out of them.

No need of any mercy. They do not deserve any. Their existence is a stain on human society. Monsters like them must be all erased form the face of this planet.

 _Kill, kill, kill, kill..._ Like a chant, it was going on and on in his head. He was under someone else's control. Something entirely evil has taken over his body, and it was making him deal the punishment on the strayed-humans with utmost cruelty. And like an entrapped soul to pied-piper's music he was doing the bidding of the musician. He felt not an ounce of remorse inside, for he was the one who willingly submitted to it.

Resting her back against the massive trunk of the tree, the genjutsu mistress was trying to regain her composure in order to prepare herself for the run back to the village, but the still-continuing wails from below assaulting her ear drums did not let her mind at peace. She was intrigued about what was going on down there. No matter how hard she tried to restrain the curiosity bubbling inside her stomach, she couldn't prevent herself from bending her body, and taking a peak.

It was horrible.

Torn body parts were spread across the battlefield. Blood from crushed skills painted the ground red. Intestines were spilling out of the opened abdomen. Spinal cords were ripped off. Faces were distorted; she could not even recognize the man who was so eager to take her dignity.

Massacre did not even begin to describe the scene displayed in front of her eyes.

When her blurring vision rested on Naruto, she found him torturing the life out of yet another thug.

 _Was this the same person who saved my life?_ She could not help but think that.

Some corpses were so brutally mutilated that her mind had to create an alternate image so that she would not go insane of the nightmares.

A guardian angel… She thought of him in that way, when he snatched her from the Death's mouth and carefully rested her down on a branch.

But having witnessed the horror he was capable of, The Devil were the only words that suited him the best. He was clearly not a human. How could he be? How could anyone capable of such cruelty be a human? 

"Stop it." Only a muffling voice came out, and it failed to reach his ears.

She willed herself to call out once more.

"Stop!" Once again she did not succeed in waking him up from his trance.

She dug her fingers into the surface of the branch, balanced her body on her knees, bent her torso a bit more, and shouted.

"STOOOOPP!"

Naruto ceased all his actions at once, and turned around to look up at the poisoned woman.

At the same time Naruto turned around, her hands slipped. She lost her balance, and gravity pulled her towards the Earth's crust. Almost instantly Naruto was below her, and with his spread arms, he was waiting for her to land in his embrace.

He laid her down gently, and immediately turned around to glare at the last man standing. He was about to launch himself towards him, when a pair of soft hands wrapped themselves around his waist, and he was stopped once again.

"Please, no more." Her voice was very weak. "Please, I cannot see any of this more. Let him go. You have done enough." She begged him to let the only man standing live.

He did not want to. The music playing in his ears did not allow him to show such kindness, but he knew that he had to stop. He had to let go off the anger before it started to consume him. So, with one last glare that conveyed to the shivering man in front of him that never in his life was he to associate himself with any crime, Naruto gestured him to leave. With sparing any moment, he disappeared.

A couple of months later, and the tale of The Devil inhabiting the world would be spread across the nations, but that story is for some other time.

"It's okay now, Yuhi-san. You can let go off me."

With a startled expression in her eyes, she slowly slid her hands down his waist, and asked him in an alarmed tone, "How do you know my name? I never told you."

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down his staggered breathing, and turned around to face her.

"Kurenai Yuhi. Age 23. Class Jounin. Have been since three years ago. A bordering A-Rank kunoichi in the Bingo book. Parents deceased. Was a genin under the tutelage of Kushina Uzumaki. Your other team mates were Yugao Uzuki, the sword mistress, whom you did not get along well with and have not been in contact with since your sensei died ten years ago, and Sunao Sumire, a very dear friend of yours, but she died in a scouting mission gone wrong five years ago. You are currently in a relationship with Asuma Sarutobi, another Jounin from our village, and you are pregnant, with his child, I assume."

"Hey, I am not pregnant." No sooner did Naruto close his mouth than she declared that.

Her eyelids were wide-open, threatening to spill the eyeballs out of their sockets. She was beyond startled now, even a bit scared of him. When she turned her gaze away from him, and looked at the horrid scene spread around them once again, she unconsciously took a step back.

Naruto followed her gaze, and realizing that she was afraid of him, he lowered his head in shame and said in a soft voice, "I am sorry about that. Memories of my past overtook me, and I couldn't stop myself. I am extremely sorry that you had to witness such a horrible thing."

If Kurenai could see his eyes, the pain he withholds in them would have wretched her heart. However, his shrunken visage was enough of a hint for her to not pursue the topic anymore. So, she sated the curiosity growing inside her, and locked the questions she had for him away, except for one.

Who was he?

"Who are you?"

He slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"Naruto Uzumaki, an aspiring shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato." He said with a warm smile on his face. Though Kurenai could not see that because of the cloth covering more than half of his face.

'An aspiring Shinobi'… Just then something hit him. He had to appear in the graduation exam. As if on a reflex, he lifted Kurenai in his arms again, and headed towards Konoha at his full speed.


End file.
